Hoenn League: A Brendan and May Adventure
by Br33zy
Summary: Adaptation from the Ru/Sa/Em games. This is a story about a boy, a girl, and a journey. I'm deadly serious.
1. The New Girl

**Hoenn League: A Brendan and May Adventure**

**Summary:** A novelization of the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald games with a few twists here and there.

**Rating**: K+ for mild language and violence (non-graphic)

**Disclaimer**: Pokemon and all related characters do not belong to the author.

Yes, I realize this story has horrible ... everything. I'm currently trying to edit it/add in detail, but there's only so much I can do to improve on writing that is well over seven years old. It's never going to be perfect, and there are things that I wish I could change (but can't/won't because it would require revising plot points), but overall, I am proud of this story and all it has gone through. I'm too personally connected to it to make any changes stupid thirteen year old me created just so it seems more logical. I even kept in most of the stupid author notes. Lulz. I hope that you'll find some sort of joy reading this piece much like the joy I found writing it.

A few notes: Yes, I am aware Brendan has black hair and is hiding it under a white hat. When I was thirteen, I based his looks on that Ruby artwork, which made his hat look, well, more like hair than a hat. Pretty much, I'm too immature/lazy to go back and fix it. :P

Yes, pokemon talk in this story. Why? Various reasons that I can't keep track of. I threw in a few reasons through the story. Try to find them all! Pretty much, thirteen year old me thought talking pokemon were a cool way to characterize pokemon. :P Older me tried to give it a proper reason but failed to.

Overall, this story was never meant to be serious; I took the writing seriously but never wanted the story to be read as serious fiction. It's just a fun, light read.

Enjoy!

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**The New Girl**

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There was something strange about this place. For one, it smelled horribly like mothballs – no, wet mothballs wrapped in wet trash. Another, it was dark. Cracks of sunlight peeped their way in from the corners of the small, cold room, but it wasn't bright enough for the girl to see her gloved hand a few inches away from her face.

Darn that mother of hers. Darn her and her, "It'll be an adventure, May! You'll love riding in the back of a moving truck!"

Her mother was wrong.

There was no use complaining about it though. She had bigger things to worry about. For example, one thing would be not emptying her digested breakfast all over the cardboard boxes that contained her family's items.

Wobbling a bit like a drunk at a party, the poor mess of a girl stumbled toward a wooden crate pushed up against the cold, metal wall and plopped down on top of it, doubling over to hold her head, hoping it would help alleviate the queasiness in her stomach. And it did, she supposed, until the moving truck sharply turned, and she, along with several boxes, careened roughly into the wall opposite of her. She then groaned, twitching in pain.

Luckily, the moving truck shuddered to a stop, the motor coughing and sputtering before turning off. She could hear heavy footsteps outside as her ears were still pressed up against the wall. She peeled herself off, rubbing the side of her face as the back door of the moving truck rattled open, and she hissed from the sudden bombardment of sunlight, shielding her eyes.

"Oh, sweet suicune! The light! It burns!" she cried, exaggerating of course. Climbing over some boxes, almost stumbling in the process, the girl managed to make her way down the ramp of the truck where a sweet, warm wind greeted her. She then looked down at the machoke, its gray muscles bulging as it lifted several boxes in its hand, its snout blowing out air from all the weight.

"So this is Hoenn, huh?" she asked more to herself, though the being next to her nodded. "I guess it's not ... too bad. Definitely no Goldenrod that's for sure."

The girl's epiphany was interrupted when a lady opened the oak door of the home the moving truck was parked next to. Her bright, blue eyes, the same color as the flustered girl's, shone brighter as she ran toward the girl, her arms open wide, her dark brown, curly hair flying behind her. "May!" the older woman greeted warmly, hugging the bewildered girl, her yellow, summer dress floating around her.

"Um ... hi, Mom," muttered the girl known as May, patting the older woman awkwardly on the back before releasing herself from her vice-like grasp.

May's mom, Caroline, didn't release the girl from her grasp though. She held onto her forearms and stepped back, evaluating her daughter's appearance. "You look ... dirty. And I just got you these clothes too," she remarked with disdain, releasing the girl's arms to clean her up. She pulled down on May's red and black collared t-shirt layered with a white undershirt to rid it of wrinkles before lightly slapping the black material of the girl's shorts to rid them of dust. "Your hair is such a mess too. What kind of fourteen year old girl are you?" Using her fingers as a comb, Caroline brushed the shoulder length brown locks of her daughter, trying to rid them of her tangles before the girl pulled away, frustrated.

"Mom!" May whined, running her own hands through her hair. Her fingers then made her way to the red and white bandanna that covered the top of her hair, adjusting it so it was centered on her head. "I'm fine!"

"Oh, don't get so flustered, May. I'm just trying to make you look presentable, that's all. First impressions mean everything!" Caroline crossed her arms and looked up a bit to admire the modest two story home. The light brown paint of the house made it seem welcoming and warm. Large, clear windows filtered sunlight, making them gleam. Each home on the quaint street had a red shingle roof complete with a tall chimney and a well manicured lawn, the grass as green as it could be. It was every couple's dream home. "It's nice, isn't it?"

May also looked up and sighed. "Couldn't we live in, like, a city or something? What exactly is there to do around here?"

Caroline either didn't hear her daughter or chose to ignore her, too enthralled with the beauty of her new home. That and the poor woman had answered May's questions several times already. May's father recently had been offered a job to be gym leader at Petalburg City in the small island region of Hoenn, and the only homes that were in their price range was in the sleepy town of Littleroot. "Let's go inside!" she remarked perkily as she pushed May lightly into the house with her hand.

May staggered over the threshold of the door, her black and red sneakers squeaking across the wood floorboards, but she quickly regained balance. The house her mom bought came furnished, so a black leather sofa sat on a plushy, red rug. The television pushed up against the wall was blaring the Hoenn news. May turned her head a bit to where the kitchen was, noticing that a couple of machokes were moving the refrigerator so another could set up the polished kitchen table complete with four chairs.

"You know you get your own room this time," Caroline said tauntingly, nudging May in the arm while smiling sneakily. "An actual room too. Not that cramped up washing machine room that we had back in our apartment that you so 'desperately needed.'" She shook her head fondly, remembering the day her daughter crossed the threshold from innocent child to grumpy teenager.

The girl merely shrugged, not entirely convinced that she liked her new home. "I guess that's cool," she murmured, crossing her arms.

Caroline nudged her daughter further into the home. "Well, go check it out and make sure everything is there. I made sure the machokes furnished your room first so you could take a nap if you wanted. Dad also gave you a clock. I'm not too sure why as your old one was fine ..." She trailed off, smiling a bit. "It was still thoughtful though."

"I guess ..." May shrugged and sidestepped past a machoke carrying a heavy crate, walking toward the carpeted stairs. Upstairs was a narrow hallway, also carpeted with the same red carpet from the staircase, and the girl peeked her head into each individual room, trying to find her own. Seeing her familiar bed complete with fluffy white pillow and a baby pink blanket decorated with dancing baby pokémon in the room at the end of the hallway, May entered, greeted by sunlight pouring into the open window. She took a deep breath, whiffing in the sweet wind as she walked further in. She turned around slowly, doing as her mother said. Her small television was setup in the corner, its screen dusty. She then noticed her computer sat on a desk, just as dusty as the television screen. She then let out a small squeal, noticing her yellow fanny pack on the table. She was afraid she left it back in Johto, but surely enough, it had someway found its way here (she supposed her mother had something to do with it). She zipped it open and checked its contents. Ribbons, hairbrushes, and combs. Everything was neatly in place.

Grabbing it off the table and swinging the bag to clip it around her hips, she noticed she knocked a half-empty bottle of pokémon potion to the floor. She sighed; it was yet another attempt by her father to find some interest in traveling as a pokémon trainer. While May absolutely adored pokémon, being the daughter of a newly appointed gym leader and all, she had no desire to travel. Getting dirty and lost sounded disgusting. Her complaints didn't stop her father from trying to persuade her to travel anyway, and he often left random pokéballs and other items around for May to find ever since the day she turned ten, the official age a trainer could own a pokémon. Annoyed a bit, May nevertheless took the bait and quickly bagged the potion into her bag. She suppose it could have some use if she encountered an injured pokémon.

May turned toward the open door of her room, noticing that everything was in place, when she noticed the shiny, round clock on the wall. Again, heeding her mother's advice, she adjusted the time so it matched up with Hoenn's. She then ran down the hallway and down the stairs, her footsteps rattling the railing. She quickly emerged downstairs and turned her head toward the television, hearing the end of a newscast and noticing her dad's picture fade from the screen.

"Dad was on T.V.?" she asked as the next show came on.

"Yeah, but we missed it," Caroline answered sadly from her position on the couch, but she smiled all the same as if her face were always pulled by hooks like a fish. "I suppose it doesn't really matter; we know all about your father. Anyway, that somehow reminds me that our neighbors are friends of Dad's! The Birch's, or something like that. You might remember them when they visited Johto a long time ago, though you were about four or five. Ah, you and their little adorable son played so nicely together."

May raised an eyebrow. "Son? As in a boy?"

Caroline smirked a bit. "Yes, son as in a boy. There are boys outside of Johto, you know. Why don't you meet them? I'd go with you, but I want to make sure the machoke don't break anything ... Anything valuable anyway." She gave the side eye to a couple of machokes that were fighting over a boxes of rattling dishes, sighing.

"Well, okay, Mom," May replied. "I guess I'll see you later." Brushing past a couple of boxes stacked near the front door, she walked outside, flattening the clover green grass underneath her feet. Since her house was on the corner, the only house that the Birch's home could be was the one directly to the right. She shrugged, walking past the fence of her home and toward the concrete sidewalk and the home next door. Surely enough, May bent over a bit to examine her neighbor's mailbox that was etched with "The Birch's" in silver. She then looked up to examine their home. It was an exact replica of her own except the paint job was a darker brown and a rose garden was underneath the windows of the first floor.

May walked down the dirt path and toward the door of the Birch's home, the door painted a dark green. She rapped her knuckles hard against the door, not once, not twice, but three times. No answer. Her hand found its way toward the brass doorknob of the front door to see if it was unlocked, finding that it was. She hesitated, blinking a few times. People in her apartment complex back in Johto never locked their doors during the day since they all knew each other well, but this was Hoenn, and Hoenn might be completely different. But her mother would be mad if she returned without meeting them.

With a strange logic that decided that her fear of her mother's wrath trumped her fear of strangers, May opened the door and peeked her head inside. "Heeellllooo?" she greeted, her voice echoing. She then pushed the door open wider though decided against entering the home until someone greeted her back.

May heard thumping like someone was racing down the stairs, and sure enough, a lady wearing a pair of faded denims and a red tee-shirt ran down and greeted May, gasping for breath. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, her warm, brown eyes looking at May as she placed her hands on her hips. "Hello," she replied with a smile. "I'm sorry about not answering the door. I was just helping my son pack for his journey." Her eyes swept over May's appearance. "You remind me of someone ... You wouldn't happen to be Caroline's daughter, would you?"

"Er, yeah," May answered slowly, smiling back to be polite, extending her hand. "My name is May."

"That's it. I remember when you were a cute little toddler back in Johto. You grew up to look like a younger version of your mother." The lady laughed lightly, shaking May's hand. "I doubt you remember me though. I'm Professor Birch's wife, Mrs. Birch." She moved a bit and welcomed May in with a gesture of her hand. "Come on in!"

May nodded and entered as Mrs. Birch closed the door behind her, darting over toward the table to tidy up the papers that were littered over it. "I apologize for the mess. My husband likes to come home and just throw all his work wherever he can!" She laughed again as May looked around. "Anyway, you must meet my son. He's about your age. He's been a bit lonely since there aren't many kid around his age, so he spend much of his time helping his dad with research. I'm sure he could use a friend. Though I suppose it doesn't really matter now since he's leaving for his journey like I said. His father finally convinced him that he didn't need his help researching around here anymore and to start his own adventure." She absentmindedly motioned her hand toward the staircase. "Anyway, he's upstairs."

There was something awkward about bursting into a room to greet some guy, but May did as Mrs. Birch suggested anyway, climbing the long passage to the second story. _How sad_, she thought, shaking her head, trying to find Mrs. Birch's son's room. _This guy doesn't have friends!_ She noticed a boy no older than her hunched over a backpack, shoving items into it, and she pushed the door open, walking in slowly, the boy unaware of her presence. She peered over his shoulder.

"Bag full, pokémon healed," May heard him mutter to himself. The boy then turned around, feeling someone breathe against the nape of his neck. He jumped a bit, startled, though not afraid. "What the – hi! Who are you?" the mysterious boy asked, holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Oh! Um, hi! I'm May, your new next door neighbor." May shook his hand in return. She inspected this strange boy while exchanging greetings. He was a few inches taller than she was, making him around five foot eight. His eyes were a ruby red which you could melt into – if you liked him of course – and his somewhat tousled snow-white hair was covered in a black and red bandanna – Hoenn Colors. Also exclaiming his Hoenn Pride was his outfit, a black tee-shirt with red stripes at the sleeves. His pants were also black but the ends were red and yellow. One pokéball was clipped on his belt.

"So you're the gym leader's kid, huh?" he remarked thoughtfully, turning around a bit to zip up his one-strap yellow backpack. He swung it around his shoulder and smiled smugly. "My dad told me that some gym leader's kid would be moving in soon, though I thought you would be a boy. Boys do make better trainers after all."

May gaped. "Are you saying girls can't train pokémon?" she asked crossly.

The boy shrugged, amused. "Hmm ... Yeah, I suppose. It's true, isn't it? I mean, look at you." His eyes swept over her appearance, noticing that her fanny pack had no pokéballs clipped to it. "You're the gym leader's kid and my age, yet you have no pokémon?" He pointed toward the pokéball on his belt. "At least I have one. What's your excuse?

"And I wondered why you didn't have friends!" May frowned, crossing her arms. "You know what? I am _so_ getting a pokémon, and when I do, I'm gonna beat you soooo bad that–"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry! I was just messing with you!" He put his arms up in surrender sort of way, smiling innocently. "I can even catch you a pokémon now if you want – oh, wait." He snapped his fingers like he were disappointed. "Sorry, but I can't right now. I have to help my dad with his research. See you later!" He brushed past her and headed out of the room. He then returned, peeping his head around the corner to add, "And I doubt you could beat me."

May huffed, blowing up her bangs, flustered. "He's a weird, weird boy," she thought out loud. "But what the hell is his name? He never did tell me ..."

Since May no longer has a reason to stay, she went downstairs, said goodbye to Mrs. Birch, and left, observing the rest of the town, walking along the sidewalk. For awhile there was nothing by row upon row of houses, but soon she noticed a taller, more extravagant building with tall windows, solar panels on the roof and satellites pointing in all directions. She could only assume this was the lab of Professor Birch, husband of Mrs. Birch and father to that sexist boy she just met. With a slight shrug, she made her way to the lab and stepped on the mat, the automated glass doors opening for her. She was surrounded by the whirring of machines and the buzzing of computers, but no one seemed to be inside except for some lonely scientist hunched over his desk, his hair greasy and the frames of his glasses slipping off the bridge of his nose.

May walked over toward the scientist and said, "Excuse me, sir? Are you the professor?"

The scientist looked up from his paperwork and let out a hardy laugh. "Me? The professor? No, I'm just his assistant. Professor Birch went to do some field work. He was never the type to sit down and do paperwork. He should be back later if you need to speak to him."

"Okay, thanks." May waved good-bye to the assistant and jogged out the door, the wind greeting her again. "Fieldwork?" she mumbled to herself, walking further down the sidewalk. She soon reached the edge of town where civilization seemed to end, the concrete sidewalk merging with the dusty road. She heard birds chirp and creatures in trees rustle. "Well, I guess I should turn back –"

A loud scream interrupted her as she saw a little boy flail his arms in the air, panicking. "Help!" he squeaked, his voice dry. "The professor's in trouble!"

"So you just ditched him? Nice," May muttered sarcastically to herself. "Wait ... Dammit! I need to find the professor!" With that statement said, May ran down the route, passing by an old, worn down sign that said "Route 101." She huffed for breath, the long grass tangling up around her bare legs, but she managed to find a middle-aged man running around in circles not too far away from the entrance to Littleroot. His long, white lab coat flapped behind him as he was being chased by a small, wolf-like pokémon with crimson red eyes and a dark black and gray fur coat. There was something funny about this picture. The man was sturdy built and muscular, yet he was afraid of some puny puppy that probably was all bark with no bite.

"Help!" the man yelled, continuing to in circles to avoid the pokémon.

"Aw, but it's so cute," she cooed, noticing that the pokémon was a mere puppy. She shook her head to rid herself of her "cutesy wutsey" thoughts and looked at the professor. "How?" she asked.

"See that bag over there?" The man pointed toward a yellow backpack. "It contains two pokéballs! USE ONE OF THEM!" he shouted as he backed into a tree slowly, the wolf pokémon advancing on him.

"Oh, all right then." May shrugged and ran over to the bag, bending over a bit to open it. The bag then toppled over from all the weight, spilling out two glossy pokéballs. She ran a fingertip across the shiny surface of both balls before plucking one from the ground. She then enlarged the ball in her hand by pressing the button in the middle, reeling her arm back and releasing the ball from her grasp. "Go ... whoever you are!"

The red and white ball broke as soon as it hit the ground, and a small, delicate little chick pokémon popped out. She ruffled her reddish-orange and yellow feathers, one of her sharp talons digging into the ground. The yellow feathers that stuck out on the top of her head swayed in the delicate wind. She glared at the barking poochyena who turned around to face her, but her threatening look only upped her cute factor.

"Torchic!" the chick pokémon cried, her eyes narrowing.

May had learned a lot from her dad: Attacks, type advantage, and other things, but all her knowledge seemed to drain away now that she was in an actual battle. "Use your Scratch attack!" May half commanded, half guessed, noticing that the chick had sharp claws.

Torchic ran and hopped into the air, using one of her claws on the poochyena, scratching at its face. The poochyena howled in pain and snarled, angry. Torchic stepped back a bit, her feathers ruffling in a nervous manner.

"You can do it, Torchic!" May called out, assuming that was what the chick's name was. "Use another Scratch attack!

"Chic!" Torchic chirped cheekily and ran a bit, clawing into poochyena's flesh. The poor poochyena howled in pain and ran away quickly, its howls fading the further it ran.

Wiping at his brow, the professor sighed in relief, stepping away from the tree to thank May. "Thank you ... uh –"

"May," May finished for him as she returned the Torchic in a beam of red light. She then gathered up all the contents that spilled out of the professor's bag and handed it back to him.

"May?" the professor said her name slowly and thoughtfully as he took the bag and swung it over his shoulder. "Oh, yes. You're Norman's daughter, aren't you? Hi, I'm Professor Birch. Nice to meet you!" He shook her hand

"Likewise." May smiled cheerfully while shaking his hand back.

"Anyway, let's go back to my lab to talk. We don't want to be attacked by another random pokémon, now do we?"

May laughed again. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

Back in the lab, both professor and girl had a discussion. The professor sat at his desk, spilling out the contents of his backpack before catching the two pokéballs in them with his free hand. He then looked up to where May stood on the opposite of his desk.

"May, I think you have what it takes to be a great pokémon trainer," the professor said as put one of the balls down and fiddled with the other between two of his fingers. He couldn't contain his grin, almost like he were planning something. "I saw you battle that poochyena with ease. Amazing ... just like your dad."

"I just kept using Scratch attack. No biggie," May pointed out, smiling while rubbing the back of her neck nervously

"Still ..." the professor trailed off. "I notice that my torchic liked you from the start. She's pretty stubborn and doesn't always like to listen, yet she seemed to take your orders without a second thought. I feel that she will continue to grow and like you even more if you had her as a starter pokémon." He stared down at the pokéball in his hand before handing it over to May.

May, bewildered, looked at the pokéball in Professor Birch's hand, the ball shining in the florescent light. She then sighed. "My dad set you up to this, didn't he?"

Professor Birch raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ever since I turned ten, he's been trying to get me a pokémon and travel, but I told him I didn't want to. It just doesn't sound ... appealing to me, especially if I have to travel alone. It's not like I can't or anything. I passed the tests and even have my license. It's just ... I don't know. I guess I'm kind of afraid of doing it alone."

"I can honestly say that your dad and I didn't plan on anything, though he does call me to ask how he can persuade you to travel." He laughed a bit, his arm still outstretched to give her the ball. "That being said though, I'm not saying you have to travel if you don't want to. Torchic obviously likes you, and I think she'd be happy with you. The other trainer I was suppose to give her too found her too difficult to handle."

May sighed again, taking the ball in her hand reluctantly. "So I don't have to travel? I can just keep her as a pet kind of?"

"Yeah, of course."

The girl enlarged the ball in her hand. "Then I would love to have her. Thanks!" May smiled wider and pressed the button again, releasing the creature within. The torchic landed on the floor and ruffled her feathers again, looking up and blinking her wide, brown eyes at May, cheeping.

The professor smiled as May bent down to pick up the torchic, hugging her and nuzzling the top of the torchic's head with her chin. "Yes, well, my son, Brendan – "

May interrupted him. "Is your son that white-haired kid with the Hoenn color pride going on?"

"Why, yes. Yes it is."

"Oh, I met him! Never told me his name though."

"Yes, he can be rather ... ignorant sometimes. But he will and can teach you the ropes of pokémon training if you ask him –" He held up a finger to stop May from arguing with him. "I know, you have no interesting in being a trainer. It's still a good skill to learn though just in case you do need encounter another wild pokémon that is tougher than that poochyena. He told me he was heading toward Route 103, looking for pokémon right now, getting their data. That's why he traveling in the first place. That and the fact that he wants to be pokémon champion."

"Isn't that almost _every _boy's dream?" May rolled her eyes but then smiled as she heard her torchic chirp cheerfully. "All right, Professor. I'll go ask him for some pointers. See you later!" She exited the lab with Torchic happily flapping her wings as she carried her. "Route 103 ... That's only a few minutes from here I figure," she said to herself as her torchic peeped again. She began to walk past Oldale Town, another quaint town much like Littleroot, and started walking up toward the route where Brendan was at. She then found Brendan staring at a tree, watching him scribbling in a notebook, his reddish-brown eyes wide. "I knew he was weird," she murmured.

"I heard that!" Brendan turned around to face her, an angry look plastered on his face, making May freeze in her spot. "So, what do you want?" he asked cheekily. May knew that this boy has a cocky side.

"Your dad told me to ask you to teach me the ropes of pokémon training," May answered as she placed Torchic on the ground. The chick pokémon began to jump up and down in one spot, full of energy.

"Haha, funny." Brendan laughed, shoving his notepad into his backpack and crossing his arms. "Let's see if you were telling the truth!" Reaching down to his belt, he picked up the lone pokéball and enlarged it to the size of an orange. He released the pokémon that was with held in it. "Go, Mudkip!"

In a blaze of white light and dark blue sparkles, a pokémon popped out and growled excitedly as he slapped his blue tail against his small, blue body. His face has two orange spots where his face cheeks were and an orange thing (which is the only way May could describe it) stuck out from the top of his head like Torchic's yellow feathers. His four paws dug at the ground as he lowered his head, ready to pulverize the chick pokémon.

May scratched her head, confused. "Whatcha doing?" she asked idiotically seeing as she never was in a pokémon battle before.

Brendan slapped his head in frustration. "It's a pokémon battle, stupid!"

May glared at the white-haired boy. "Stupid? I'm not stupid! But they say it is contagious. Go, Torchic, but stay as far away as you can from Brendan over there! You might catch his stupid!" Torchic nodded and chirped cheekily as she jumped out and took a battle stance.

"Mudkip, start off with Mudslap attack!" Brendan ordered, flustered by May's taunt. The mudkip dipped his tail into some dirt and flung it at the torchic, growling.

"Careful, Torchic! Ground attack are super effective on fire types," May warned the pokémon, her knowledge of pokemon kicking in. Torchic heeded her warning and easily evaded the attack by jumping up into the air, flapping her short wings.

"Good!" May cheered. "Try using your Growl attack!"

"Counter it with Tail Wag, Mudkip!"

Torchic chirped cutely and Mudkip wagged his tail cutely. May awed at the cute, playful face that danced across the mudkip's face as he wagged his tail while Brendan smiled at the high-pitched little peeps that the torchic squeaked when she jumped up and down. The attacks seemed to be useless as both trainers seemed to be under the spell of both pokemons' cuteness.

"Tackle it, Torchic!" May commanded, pointing a finger at Mudkip. Torchic cheered, jumping in the air a few times and ramming Mudkip full on with her head, sending them both skidding on the ground. Torchic hopped off and landed gracefully on both feet.

"Hey! A torchic can't learn tackle!" Brendan shouted angrily. He then turned toward his mudkip and looked at him worriedly as he groggily got back on all fours. "Are you all right, Mudkip?" Brendan asked with concern.

"Kip!" Mudkip cried, nodding, angry.

"What's there to learn? Tackle is just ramming your opponent with your head!" May retorted smartly, crossing her arms while blowing up her bangs.

Brendan only huffed. "Let's show 'em who's boss! Tackle right back!"

Mudkip charged at Torchic and rammed her with his own head, this time the mudkip on top and the torchic on the bottom. Torchic's head collided sickeningly into the base of a tree. Mudkip got up, cheering triumphantly while Torchic laid still on the outer roots of the tree, breathing heavily.

"Hang in there, Torchic! Finish him with Scratch!" May commanded, smirking, getting more enthralled with the battle, her hands balled up into fists.

"Chic!" Torchic ran toward Mudkip and scratched it hard with her claws. Mudkip roared – despite the fact that it did sound adorable – in agony falling over and fainting, swirls in his eyes.

"Mudkip!" Brendan cried, concerned, picking up his fallen pokémon and cradling the being in his arms. The mudkip sighed a bit, going limp in his trainer's arms as fatigue overcame him.

"Sorry, Brendan," May apologized, picking up her pokémon too. She then mentally slapped herself; she didn't have to apologize for winning!

"It's all right. I just need to go to a pokémon center to heal him up ..." Brendan replied, down-fallen by his defeat. He began to trudge slowly to Oldale Town, scratching his mudkip's head comfortingly. "You better get back to the lab ... Tell my dad that you won."

"Wait up!" May shouted, but he still kept walking forward, hopping down the ledge toward the quaint town. "Do we think we hurt his ego?" May asked the torchic on the ground, sighing. "He did tell me that boys made better trainers, even though it's obviously not true." The two began their descent toward Oldale as well, the torchic flapping her wings happily.

The torchic merely flapped her wings again and chirped her name in response. "Maybe, but that's boy for ya!" May's pokémon replied cheekily, blinking her eyes twice to look innocent.

"Hold up." May stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide, and picked up the torchic and eyed it inquisitively. "Wait, you can talk?"

"Depends what you mean by that," the torchic giggled. "It's a special bond between trainer and pokémon. While I'm not speaking in um ... whatever language you humans speak in, we can still understand each other!"

"Oh, right. My dad told me about that. Then how come some trainers don't understand their pokemon? I read it in a journal once.

Torchic chirped again as if she didn't know, and May laughed, walking back toward Littleroot, kind of perturbed by the fact that she understood her pokémon. On the way there, they found Brendan by the entrance of Oldale Town, an eccentric Mudkip playfully snarling and biting at his heels.

"Finally, slowpoke!" Brendan yelled, smirking at his joke.

May shook her head but smiled sweetly. "I've known you for an hour, but it feels like that I've known you for years with all this name calling."

Brendan ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not the shy type if you can tell."

"Yeah, you're more of the smart-aleck type huh?"

"Whatever, girl."

"The name is May!"

"Does it look like I care? I have to meet my dad."

"Okay, okay. No need to get your whitey tidies in a twist!"

"I don't wear whitey tidies! I wear –"

"Big boy undies?"

"Haha, funny. Hysterical really," Brendan replied back sarcastically, rolling his eyes, unaware that they made it past the "wild" of the path between Oldale and Littleroot. "Hey, we're here already. That was fast." Brendan walked toward his dad's lab, scooping up his mudkip in the process while May followed quickly at his heels, still hugging her torchic close to her chest. The automated doors of the laboratory opened for them again, and the two were greeted by the buzzing of machinery and the typing of a computer's keyboard.

"Hey, Dad!" Brendan shouted, his voice rebounding throughout the room as the two crossed the tile flooring of the lab. "I'm back!"

"Hey, Brendan and May! Did you two have a battle?" Professor Birch asked curiously as he threw the paperwork he was working on over his shoulder. The papers were sucked in by the fan, but he merely shrugged, not fazed by it, like he wanted it to happen.

"Yeah," Brendan grumbled, rolling his eyes and scowling.

"He's just mad 'cause he lost," May added happily, squeezing Torchic a bit, making the chick chirp

The professor chuckled. "I told you that you would make a great trainer, May."

May smiled. "I guess battling wasn't that bad ..."

Professor Birch stood up from his chair and pressed his hands against the cold metal of his desk, leaning into it so he could peer at the two young trainers. "You know, Brendan, I know you wanted to make a new friend so he or she could travel with you on your journey."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So May is your age, isn't she?"

"What?" Brendan looked back and forth between the girl hugging her torchic and his smirking dad. "Dad, you can't be serious! You want me to travel with ... _her_?"

May looked at the bewildered Brendan and scoffed. "Oh no, no, no, Professor! You told me I wouldn't have to travel! You told me I could just keep this torchic as a pet!"

Professor Birch tried to calm down the rioting Brendan and the disgruntled May. "Let's think about it," he began as May huffed and Brendan avoided his eye contact. "May, you told me that what put you off from starting your own journey was you being alone. Obviously traveling with Brendan would alleviate that problem. And Brendan, she's your friend, isn't she? She can travel with you!"

"She's not my friend," Brendan murmured, causing the girl next to him glare at his turned head.

"I'd think it would be good if you two traveled together throughout the Hoenn region. In fact, I asked both your moms and they think it's a great idea."

"No! You're lying!" Brendan and May exclaimed in unison.

"The pokémon world is vast and dangerous," the professor added, rubbing his chin. "You never know when you two might need to bail each other out of situations. I wish I got to travel with someone early like you two but ..." he trailed off as he went down a trip on memory lane.

"But –" the two trainers argued, interrupting Professor Birch's thoughts.

"No ifs, ands, or buts," the professor cut them off firmly. "You two better pack up and start your journey!"

**Last Revised: 2/22/09**


	2. The Adventure Begins!

**The Adventure Begins!**

**

* * *

**

Brendan paced in front of the new girl trainer impatiently, hands in his pockets, waiting for her to tie her running shoes. What was taking her so long? Did she tie her hands _in _the bows or something? Well, she did look like an idiot when he first met her, and the fact that she didn't know what a pokémon battle was didn't help her look like a genius either. Girls ... All they know about is shopping and being mad once a month for some strange reason that he did not dare question.

"May! Hurry up! It's bad enough we have to travel together!" Brendan finally shouted, staring impatiently at the bandanna-wearing girl. "It's not like you're slow enough already! Sheesh! By the time we get to be _OLD_ale town, I'll be _OLD_!"

"Geez, sorry." May rolled her blue eyes. "I just can't tie these stupid running shoes!" She hassled with the black and white laces, her fingers fumbling but was finally able to tie them all the same in the end. "Besides, you already have the hair color for an old person. No need to rush." She stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants. "Let's go, gramps!"

"Finally!" Brendan replied, picking up his faithful mudkip. "Did you just call me gramps?"

May ignored his question, admiring her new shoes by raising her foot up a bit. "So how so you get these things to work anyway?"

Brendan shrugged as he pulled out a crinkled piece of paper from his pocket to read the instructions. "Hmm ..." he said, trailing off, his eyes narrowing a bit as he read. "Well it says to push the 'b' button whatever that –"

May interrupted him as she began to poke him at his shoulder repeatedly, giggling a bit.

Brendan was annoyed by this girl already, and it's only been two hours. How was he suppose to live though this? "Do you mind if I ask _why the heck are you poking me_?" he shouted, raising his free hand in the air before pushing the girl's arm away, his eye twitching.

May smiled sheepishly and dragged her right foot in a circle, her hands behind her back to look innocent. She looked down, trying to suppress her giggles. "Well, your name starts with a b, and it said to push its buttons –"

"On the shoes!" Brendan yelled, steaming.

"Wow, you're very easy to annoy," May observed, placing a finger on her chin. "It's going to be fun traveling with you!" she remarked happily, jumping around a bit. She then stopped, sighing. "Fun, fun, fun! I think I put too much maple syrup on my pancakes today."

"Yeah, I noticed," Brendan replied in an angry voice as he shook his head. "Latios, how am I suppose to travel with you for almost a year? You're already beginning to piss me off."

"Let's get the show on the road!" May cried cheerfully, ignoring Brendan's last statement, skipping down the road, Torchic happily hopping behind.

The white-haired trainer shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, following the crazy girl and her torchic. At least Mudkip wasn't as stupid as she was ... hopefully anyway.

Brendan and May began to walk up the Route 101, enjoying the gentle breeze that swayed through the path. Thick oak trees bordered the dirt road, their roots bending and twisting in front of them. The sun smiled happily upon them, and the sky deep blue and cloudless. A raccoon-like pokemon ran across the path in front of them, stopping to stare at the bewildered duo, before scurrying away.

"Hey, when do you think we're going to reach a gym?" May asked curiously as the two began to walk again once the raccoon pokemon, known as a zigzagoon as Brendan told her, was out of sight. "Is there one in Oldale Town that I didn't see or something?"

Brendan closed his eyes for a second, a peaceful look sketched on his face as he thought. "I know there's not a gym in Oldale Town – just yet anyway – but Petalburg is nearby. That gym is pretty tough though, so you need at least four badges to battle with the leader there," he answered, remembering the gym leader's test he took a few months ago in pokémon school.

May smiled brightly. "That's my dad's gym! That's why we moved here in the first place!"

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?"

"What is?"

"Moving here."

"Well, it's been cool so far, so yeah, it's a good thing." She then added, "So far," with a slight smirk.

Brendan smiled as they made there way to Oldale Town, an old-fashioned town that lived up to its name with its wooden porches and its thriving elderly community. At least this girl didn't seemed annoyed with him yet.

"We should stop for supplies and things like that," May pointed out as she looked at the blue roof of the Pokémart. "You never know when you're going to need a potion or an extra pokéball!"

"Yeah, good idea," Brendan agreed, opening the Pokémart door for May. "Ladies first."

"Then why aren't you going in before me?" May sneered. "Sorry, I couldn't help it! You totally set yourself up for that one."

"Yeah, whatever," Brendan grumbled and went inside after May went in.

A little while later, they emerged from the store, backpacks and fanny packs bulging from all the needed equipment for their journey.

"Man, I'm already low on cash," Brendan complained, looking at the emptiness of his black leather wallet. He then put it in his back pocket, sighing.

"Yeah, but at least we get money for beating other trainers at battling," May pointed out, patting her stuff bag. "And we can add our money together if we're both too poor or something."

"That's true," Brendan admitted as the two turned east and walked toward another open path. This path was nearly identical to the one that separated Oldale and Littleroot except it was dotted with puddles and there was a small pond with splashing pokémon in it. There were a few rookie trainers, much like Brendan and May, hunched over in the grass, observing footprints to see if they could find a pokemon to catch. "I just hope we get to battle soon. There's a urge in me that's telling me to battle soon or I'll blow up!"

"I never seen a person blow up before ..." May said thoughtfully, perching her peeing Torchic on her shoulder. She then stopped in her tracks, looking at the boy who stopped because she did. "Okay, let's wait for a bit. I want to see."

Brendan rolled his eyes as he turned around to face the girl. "It's a figure of speech. Like 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.'"

"I don't care. Blow up," May replied simply, crossing her arms and smirking.

"No! Make me!" the boy taunted back.

"Don't make this difficult. Just do it."

"I don't even know how to blow up. Demonstrate for me, and then I'll do it."

"If I blew up myself – which I don't know how to by the way – then why would I ask for you to do it and comment that I've never seen a person blow up?"

"I ... don't know?"

Unknown to the two bickering rookie trainers, a young boy, a few years younger than the duo, crept up behind them, his bare legs getting scratched up by the long, itchy grass. He turned his baseball cap around so his bangs poked out from the hole in the back, his white shirt dirty with grass stains. He then raised his arms, his fingers outstretched and his palms flat, before reaching and grabbing the two trainers' shoulders, shaking them while yelling, "I LIKE SHORTS!"

"Holy crap – this person is not my parent!" screeched Brendan, turning his head to see who ambushed him. He then looked down at glared at the laughing eleven year old. "Haha. Funny, you pipsqueak." He brushed the younger trainer's hand off his shoulder. "What's with you and your obsession with shorts?"

"Really? I like shorts too!" May said cheerfully, ignoring the disgruntled Brendan and commenting on the young trainer's statement. "They make my legs feel so free!"

"Yeah!" the young trainer agreed cheerfully, nodding frantically. "They're so comfortable and easy to wear!"

"I totally agree!"

The eleven year old smiled at May then turned toward Brendan. "Who is this girl? I like her."

Brendan sighed and began the introductions. "May, this is Joey, one of my old neighbors. He left a few days ago to start his journey, though I'm not sure why he's still in this area." He smiled sheepishly as Joey glared at him. "Joey, this is May. May is tagging along with me during my journey –"

"Excuse me?" interrupted May, poking Brendan in the arm. "'Tagging along?' No, no, Brendan. You're lucky to even have come with you."

"Me? Lucky? Please, Miss 'I'm afraid of being alone.' You're the lucky one to have someone so strong and brave watch out for you."

"Really? I have someone strong and brave watching out for me?" May looked around mockingly. "I don't see him, Brendan. Where is he?"

"Listen here, girl –"

"For the LAST time, you jerk, my name is May! May Maple! As in the month and in the tree. No, my name isn't 'girl,' and no, my name isn't 'stupid.' So get it right!"

The two continued to argue (again) until Joey, rubbing the back of neck nervously as he watched the verbal tennis match, asked, "You want to battle, Brendan? For old times sake?" he asked, pulling out a pokéball from his pocket and throwing it up in the air, catching it soon after.

"No way, Joey! I saw them first!" A girl around Brendan's and May's age appeared, her ebony-black hair braided into two long strands. A white t-shirt clung tightly to her body, and she placed her hands on her hips where Brendan's eyes trailed, noticing the ridiculously short length of her black miniskirt. Instead of being annoyed with the boy's lingering eyes, she winked at him as she marched up to Joey. "You always get to challenge people! It's my turn!"

Joey rolled his eyes, spinning his pokéball on his index finger. "Please, Sarah. I do not."

"Uh huh!

"Nuh huh!"

Brendan rubbed the back of his head, stopping his argument with May. "It's nice to see you again, Sarah," he remarked in hopes of stopping the fight. "What brings you around these parts again? Didn't you leave a few weeks ago?"

Sarah turned her head to look at Brendan and smiled sweetly. "Oh, you know. Just wanted to make sure widdle Joey here started his journey okay." She took Joey's hat off his head and rubbed his hair annoyingly before recapping him despite the younger boy's complaints. "And maybe, just maybe, I hoped I would see you again. I'm lucky."

May snorted as she looked shiftily to the side, causing both Brendan and Sarah to look at her. "Anyway, who is this Brendan?" she asked, not addressing May.

"May," she answered for Brendan coolly, staring Sarah straight in the eye.

"May ..." Sarah repeated, blinking a few times. "Ah. And are you traveling with Brendan, May?"

She shrugged. "I suppose," May answered. "Unfortunately."

Then there was silence as the two girls glared at each other, one boy scratching his head in confusion and the other coughing to himself.

"_Awkwarddd_," said Joey in a singsong voice. "Anyway, what about my battle, Brendan?"

Sarah huffed again. "Joey! Let me fight him! I haven't fought in so long."

"How about you let me fight you, Joey, since you've already battled Brendan before, I think," May suggested, looking at the younger boy. "Brendan can fight Sarah 'for old times sake.'"

The two other trainers looked at each other another and nodded. "Fine," they stated in unison.

"Kay, but me and you are first! You two can watch!" Joey said smugly. "Go, Zigzagoon!" Joey threw the Pokéball that was enclosed in his fist. The ball opened, releasing a brown, striped raccoon-like being, looking like the one that Brendan and May encountered on their path to Oldale, who was busy gnawing at his claw.

"Ziggy!" the young raccoon pokémon cried.

May smiled and picked off the twittering chick off her shoulder, placing her on the floor. "Let's go, Torchic!"

"Chic!" Torchic chirped and faced Zigzagoon, clawing at the ground, the same determined look in her eye like when she battled that poochyena.

"Zigzagoon, use your Tackle attack!" Joey commanded, pointing at the torchic. Zigzagoon nodded and ran swiftly at Torchic, tackling her at her left side with his head. Torchic groaned as she skid back a few feet, using her talons to stop herself. She then chirped, ruffling her feathers.

"Hang in there, Torchic!" May said. "Try using Scratch!"

Torchic obeyed and chirped cheerfully again. She ran over, peeping as she did so, and scratched Zigazagoon's face hard with a mighty sweep of her claw. Zigzagoon moaned, trying to touch his face with a short fore paw, the scratch on his face turning a bright red.

"You can do it, Ziggy! Try Tackle again!" Joey encouraged his Pokémon.

"Use your Tackle too, Torchic!" May countered, replying to her opponent's attack.

The two Pokémon ran at each other and collided at the head with a sick and rough thud. Torchic was dazed a little bit, shaking her head to clear her blurred vision but Ziggy stumbled around a little like he had an inner ear infection. He then fell onto his side, exhausted.

Joey gaped, pulling out Ziggy's pokeball. "Zizagoon, return," the young trainer recalled his Pokémon in a beam of red light. "You did great, Ziggy! You deserve a nice rest!" He looked up toward May. "That was a good battle! You're a great trainer!"

May smiled and picked up Torchic at the same time. "Thanks! You're not so bad a trainer yourself!"

Sarah pushed Joey aside so she could stand near the empty clearing where the battle could take place. "Kay, enough of this peace treaty," Sarah exclaimed impatiently. "Let's battle, Brendy-poo; I want to see how we'll you've been raising that adorable little mudkip of yours."

May snorted as Joey held back a laugh. "Brendy-poo?" she murmured between giggles, covering part of her mouth with a gloved hand.

Brendan ignored the giggling girl, smiling cockily. "You got it! Go, Mudkip!" He pointed toward Mudkip who immediately jumped out and onto the battlefield, a smug smile plastered on his face just like his trainer's, slapping his tail against the ground.

"Let's do this! Go, Taillow!" Sarah released a small swallow-looking Pokémon from the ball she had clutched in her hand. The ball spiraled and hit the floor, releasing a small flying type. The bird immediately took flight, ruffling her navy blue feathers and puffing out the white feathers on her chest. She flew circles around Sarah's head, awaiting orders. "Start things off with your Growl attack!"

Taillow let out a small, yet cute, chirp from her small, yellow beak that made Mudkip howl in protest but made all three trainers (besides Joey who gagged) coo simultaneously.

"C'mon, Mudkip!" Brendan cheered, pumping his pokemon up. "Use your Tackle attack!"

Mudkip stopped twitching from the taillow's growl and ran at Taillow at full speed, jumping up. The taillow merely smirked and flew up higher, chirping mockingly at the growling water type.

Sarah smiled tauntingly. "My little Taillow is too fast for your Mudkip!"

Brendan growled in frustration. Hundreds of thoughts from previous battles he have seen began to race through his head. After a few seconds, he began to grin despite the fact that Sarah had the upper-hand in this battle. "Mudkip, use Mudslap!" he commanded while snapping his fingers.

Mudkip dipped his long blue tail into a small patch of dirt and flicked it up, sending it toward Taillow. The taillow merely took the hit, groaning at the sharp rocks that pelted her body, but she seemed unharmed.

Sarah sneered at Brendan's stupidity. "Ground attacks don't have any effect on flying types, silly!"

Brendan only laughed lightly at Sarah's confidence, flicking the white bangs that teased his forehead. "Mudslap not only attacks a foe, but it does much more. Look around."

Sarah looked up at her bird who was also looking around confused, a thick cloud of dust surrounding her. "Oh no! Taillow can't see! Hurry, Taillow! Try and blow the dust away with your wings!"

The boy reacted fast though. "Don't let her, Mudkip! Use Tackle!" Brendan ordered.

Mudkip jumped into the dust cloud and knocked the taillow out of it, sending them both hurtling toward the ground. Mudkip landed on top, pinning down the poor bird's wings. The taillow twitched and tried to get out of the mudkip's grasp but soon found herself too tired to do so.

"All right, Mudkip!" Brendan cheered while Mudkip ran toward his trainer, flipped over, and grinned merrily.

"Return, Taillow!" Sarah returned her fallen pokémon. "You did awesome!" She then turned addressed Brendan, smiling cutely again. "You're only getting better, Brendy-poo. I can't wait to see how you do in the league at the end of the year. I mean, I never expect you to use a Mudslap to your advantage like that."

"Expect the unexpected, as I always say," Brendan stated, getting on his knees, scratching Mudkip's head, making him purr in delight. May stifled a laugh by coughing at the boy's corniness, again rolling her eyes to the side, and Brendan rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Uh ... right."

Sarah pulled Joey next to her much to his dismay. "Well, c'mon, Joey. Let' go heal our pokemon. Hope to see you later, cutie!"

"Ew, you called Brendan cute?" Joey made a face and stuck out a tongue as Sarah dragged her away. "Girls! Bye, Brendan and May!" He waved at them, May waving back and Brendan looking a bit dazed.

Brendan felt woozy. "Heh, bye," he replied two minute too late.

"Bye!" May waved off to them and then smiled smugly at Brendan when they were out of sight, nudging him with her elbow.

"What?" Brendan asked, confused, snapping out of her daze.

"You like her, don'tcha?"

"Heck no! I like someone else!"

"Yeah, whatever. C'mon!" May sneered and walked away toward Petalburg. "We're almost at Petalburg!"

Brendan stared at her back, his mouth wide open. "Hey! Wait up!"

"Hurry up, 'Brendy-poo!'" The girl laughed, skipping down the road, her torchic on her heels.

Brendan sighed and shook his head, laughing. "You think what you want to think, May Maple."


	3. Petalburg City and Night Time Thoughts

**Petalburg City and Night Time Thoughts**

**

* * *

**

The girl trainer (it was still odd thinking herself as one) looked outside the window of the pokémon center wistfully, her closed fist supporting her chin. Reflected in the deep pools of her blue eyes was the outside world of Petalburg, a busy (yet still peaceful) town complete with the newly renovated gym her dad worked at and several, crystal clear ponds that housed schools of fish. What the girl was thinking about was nothing too complicated, like how well she was going to do as a trainer, but something small and trivial yet still meant a lot to her all the same. She decided to ask her "companion" for advice on the topic.

"Hey, B Boy?" she asked Brendan who sat across from her at their table in the center, addressing him by a nickname inspired by Sarah's "Brendy-poo" she so fondly giggled at. She continued to stare out the window. "What should I name my torchic?" She looked at the boy when he stared back at her when his name was called, and she squirmed a bit at the attention, the bottom of her shorts squeaking against the plastic back of the booth. "Ember, Pyro, Flare, or something else? I don't want something too common, but I want to make sure it's not entirely random either."

"Flare," Brendan answered as he tapped his fingers on the side of the table while he thought, "because you don't hear the pokémon name 'Flare' as often. That does remind me though ... I've had my mudkip for a couple of weeks but still haven't been able to think of a nickname for him. I want to call him something though. What should I name him? Kippers?"

"Kippers?" May raised her eyebrows, playing with the strap of her fanny pack she set in front of her. "Aren't those the smelly fish?" She made a face in complete disgust, sticking out her tongue. "I always hated when my mom served us those for dinner. Yuck!"

"Ugh!" Brendan smacked his head down on the table, rattling it. "Fine. I won't name him Kippers since it might make you flinch whenever you see Mudkip." He sat up and rubbed the spot underneath his bandanna where his head careened with the table. "But do you have any better names?"

"Hmm ..." May thought and rubbed her chin. "Well –"

"I knew I should have gotten that treecko," Brendan complained, knocking his head on the table again and resting it there, talking into his lap instead of the girl. "That way I could have named it Geiko. You know, after that commercial with the gecko."

"What are you talking about?" May pushed his head back up with the palm of her hand and kept it there, her bright, blue eyes staring into Brendan's cold crimson ones. "Mudkip's a great pokémon – all three starter pokémon are great. It's just that mudkips are the hardest to name."

"Yeah, I know that," Brendan groaned, still rubbing his forehead after he pushed May's hand aside. "Especially the part where mudkips are the hardest to name."

May scratched her head. She then snapped her fingers as several ideas for nicknames entered her head. "Why don't ya name him Storm? Or Thunder? Lightning?"

"Those are _electric_ pokémon names, May! Latios, you're so stupid."

"I'm just suggesting, Brendan! No need to throw a pissy fit –"

"Chansey!" a large, egg-shaped, pink pokémon dressed in a striped red and white nurse's outfit cried in a singsong voice, causing May and Brendan to jump up in unison. She jiggled the metal tray clutched in her two hands, making the two balls on it shift around and also causing the nurse's hat on her head to go askew.

May turned her head and took both balls off the tray, handing Brendan his own. "Thanks, Chansey!" she said with a smile. Chansey nodded before jigging back to the main desk.

"Come on out, Torchic!" May released the young chick from her ball. May's torchic came out in a flash of red light and landed firmly on the table, shaking it a bit, very happy to see her trainer. She flapped her wings and jumped into her trainer's open arms.

"Oh, you're so silly." The girl smiled, delicately holding onto her pokémon's feathery body. "I'm going to nickname you Flare! Is that okay?" May asked her pokémon.

"Sure," Torchic, now known as Flare, chirped cheerfully, ruffling her feathers in the process. "I know it's hard to say Torchic all the time."

Brendan smiled at the sight when May hugged Flare as he released his mudkip also.

"Mudkip!" Mudkip cried brightly jumping up into his owner's arms and staring up at him through wide, curious eyes, his tail wagging. "Do I get a nickname too?" he asked hopefully, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Brendan frowned, causing the mudkip in his arms to frown too. "Sorry, buddy. I can't think of a nickname for you yet, but I promise I will! Maybe Typhoon. Nah, too boring. Muddy? Bemired Muddy Mudkip ... Hmm ..."

The mudkip sighed under his breath but held up his grin all the same.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence between boy and his pokémon, May shifted a bit and shook the table, causing the two to look at her. "Well, I'm going to go visit my dad in his gym since we're here. Do you want to come with me?" May questioned, getting up and stretching her legs. She then placed Flare on the floor who looked up at her with curious eyes.

Brendan shrugged before sliding out of the booth, still holding on to his mudkip with his free hand. "I guess so. It's not like were in a hurry," he answered simply as the two made their way to the doors. May pushed them open, smudging the clear glass with her fingertips, smiling as her cheeky little torchic hopped out of center first. Then, forgetting about the white-haired trainer behind her, she released the door from her grip as soon as she passed, the door shuddering and shaking as it careened squarely with Brendan's forehead.

Groaning, Brendan pushed open the door, his mudkip looking up worriedly at him as he rubbed the sore spot underneath his bandanna. "Why don't I think that's going to be the last time this happens to me?" he muttered, dropping his hand.

"Oh, don't be so bitter about it, you big baby." May rolled her eyes and stopped in her tracks, turning around to look at the disgruntled boy. She placed her hands on her hips, blowing her bangs up. "It didn't hit you _that_ hard. Now come on. My dad's gym is nearby."

"Then how about I hit you with a glass door?" Brendan murmured under his breath, following the girl, glaring daggers at her back. "And then we'll see who's the big baby ..."

"I can still hear you!" May said in a strained yet cheerful voice as she ran up the stone steps toward the gym, jumping up them two at a time. She then tapped her foot impatiently as she waited at the top for her torchic to hop each step one at a time and Brendan to trudge his way up. "Hurry up! We haven't got all day!"

"Ah, but don't we?" Brendan said as he reached the top, rubbing his chin and looking up thoughtfully. "What is but a day? Does it end with the setting sun? The rising moon? Does the day really end? Isn't the day nothing but a silly word?"

"No, you fool. The day ends at the stroke of midnight. Didn't you ever read Cinderella? That's why all her neat stuff turned back into animals and pumpkins and whatnot," May replied with another eye roll, pressing a hand against the wooden panels of the gym's door before pushing it open, greeted with the strong scent of incense and pine. Flare hopped in first again and May followed, this time making sure she held the door for her annoyed "companion."

It was just like her dad to decorate a gym so plainly ... yet so interestingly at the same time. May's dad didn't bother to paint the walls a different color – they were still dark brown from the wood. Engraved in these walls were words, and May walked up toward one of them, running her hand along the smooth grooves. "Strength," she read as each finger passed each individual letter. The room was cast in a warm, golden light from the ceiling fan up above, circling a fresh breeze tinted with incense around the room. The gym wasn't that important though. What she really wanted to see was her –

"Dad!" May yelled happily, alarming the boy next to her who was also examining the engraving.

Brendan quickly snapped his head where the girl ran to – one of the many doors of the gym. As the girl hugged her more muscular and taller father, he began to observe the new gym leader. Being the kid of a famous professor had its perks, and meeting gym leaders was one of them, but Brendan and his father hadn't had the chance to visit Norman, May's dad – at least at a time where Brendan wasn't five and didn't cry if his teddy bear got chewed up by a stray dog.

He digressed though and shook his head to snap out of his memories, examining the man. Brendan immediately realized that May took more after her mother in appearance. May had dark brown hair while Norman's was black, gelled and slicked back. While May's eyes were cool and blue, her father's were a warmer shade of brown. Underneath his maroon jacket and darker pants was a muscular body while May was more dainty and petite.

Brendan heard Norman exclaim, "May! How did you get here without a pokémon? It's dangerous to travel this far without someone!" Thoughtfulness trailed across the pale face of the gym leader as he released the girl from his grip, his eyes scanning her up and down. "Not unless ... Calm down, Norman. Don't get your hopes up; you might be dreaming."

"Dad," May groaned, nudging her father in the arm playfully. She then beamed and pointed to the small chick that hid behind her leg, looking up in wonder. "She's a torchic," she continued, smiling at her father's astonished face, "and I nicknamed her Flare!"

Norman let out a small laugh, grinning. "Well, I'll be. My little May with a pokémon ... I never thought I'd see the day. I hoped, obviously, but never thought it would happen this soon with your stubbornness. Anyway, you must have met Professor Birch if you have a torchic – torchics are one of the three Hoenn starters after all." He then rubbed his chin curiously. "Hmm ... That doesn't explain why you're here though ..." His eyes then got starry as he clasped his hands together. "You're not traveling ... as a trainer, are you? Please say yes."

May shook her head at her father's excited antics. "Yes, I'm traveling as a trainer –" She paused to let her dad squeal in happiness. "I mean, I guess traveling _does_ seem interesting, and it'll be nice to be out of the house to see new sights, especially since we moved here and all."

"Yeah, yeah." Norman waved off May's excuse with a motion of his hand. "Don't lie, May. I've been feeding you those lines ever since you turned ten, and the moment I'm actually not bugging you about it, you decide to actually heed my advice? Now really – who convinced you to travel? Who do I get to thank?"

May begrudgingly turned around, popping her hip with attitude and crossing her arms to look at the bewildered Brendan who had stayed quiet all this time. "This is Brendan, the professor's son. Mom and his mom and Professor Birch got together and 'convinced' us to travel together," she muttered while blowing her bangs up at the same time.

"Ah, yes. I remember him all those years ago when he visited us back in Johto," Norman remarked, acknowledging Brendan as he crossed the room toward the father and daughter pair. "I see you got rid of that old, chewed-up teddy bear."

"Yeah ..." Brendan replied slowly, his eyes shifting to the side. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Maple."

"Please, call me Norman," Norman replied with a small nod, noticing the mudkip clutched in Brendan's arms. "I see you got a pokémon too. It's a mudkip, right?"

Brendan nodded, shifting his arms to grasp the squirming mudkip more firmly. He then sighed as the mudkip continued to beat his tail against his chest in annoyance, and he gently dropped him to the ground so he could playfully nip at Brendan's feet. "So you use normal types, I heard. I don't think any gym leaders in the history of Hoenn have done that before."

"Something I picked up from Johto," remarked Norman with a smug smile. He then whispered, though it was still loud enough for the disgruntled girl next to Brendan to pick up. "Anyway, be careful with this girl. She's scared of loud things in the night."

"Dad!" May screeched. "That was when I was, like, seven!"

"Yeah," Norman said, ignoring May. "She still sleeps with a night light."

"It's a lava lamp!" replied May sharply, her cheeks flushing as Brendan laughed. "The light soothes me!"

A weak knock on the front door interrupted the girl. All three turned their heads toward the door as it slowly creaked open. Between the crack peeped in the head of a boy with loose locks of green hair that shifted slightly in the breeze of the ceiling fan. He then pushed the door open, fully revealing his frail, slouched body of dangling arms and buckled knees. He couldn't be any older than Brendan – at least in his eyes – though there was this air of ... softness about him that looked like he could be pushed back and forth if he got caught in the breeze. Brendan noticed that the kid didn't bother to look up from the floor, his green eyes watery.

"You said you would help me catch a pokémon before I left, Norman?" the strange kid asked weakly and tentatively. He pushed up the sleeves of his white button up shirt in nervousness, though the sleeves ended up going back down over his wrists anyway.

"Ah, yes. Wally Wood isn't it?" Norman replied as his eyes reached the ones of the fragile-looking boy. He walked over toward his desk and opened the drawer, shuffling through it. "Do you have your own pokéball to catch a pokémon with, Wally?" he said over the shuffling of his junk.

The boy shook his head.

"Not a problem. Here's my zigzagoon. I caught it just recently around these parts, so it should be able to handle any pokémon that is around this area." He tossed Wally two pokéballs, one already containing a pokémon and the other to catch one with. Wally barely managed to catch them, his fingers fumbling over the shiny surface. Norman then looked toward Brendan and May. "Brendan, you seem to know a lot about pokémon already, and I've taught May well – I hope. Can you two see if Wally catches a pokémon okay?"

Brendan and May nodded. "Sure," they replied in unison.

"Thank you," Wally stuttered quietly. "Thank you for everything ..."

* * *

"Seriously, May. You're fourteen year old, yet you still sleep with a _night light_?" asked an amused Brendan as the three made their way toward the outskirts of Petalburg toward the path Brendan and May recently trod.

"It's a _lava lamp_! There's a huge difference!" exclaimed May, huffing.

"Hmm ... a lamp that produces light at night ..." He then clapped Wally on the back, the weaker boy jumping up a bit in, startled. "What do you think? It's a night light, isn't it?"

Wally looked up from the ground slowly. He first stared at the cocky smile on Brendan's face and then shifted his head to look into the deep, mystified eyes of May. "Um ..." he replied quietly, his eyes trailing toward the ground again, staring at the folds of his khaki pants. "Well, it is just a lava lamp ... Night lights are little bulbs or something, right?"

"Bah, kid!" remarked Brendan with an eye roll. "What do you know?"

May stopped when they stood in the middle of a grassy pasture, quickly followed by Brendan who then reached out to grab the back of Wally's shirt to stop him from walking. They stood still, knee high in clover-green grass as to not alarm any wild pokémon. Frustrated after a few minutes of silent standing, May remarked, "There's no poké –"

At the sound of her words, a pokémon that looked almost like a human child, small and curious, wandered down toward the three trainers, one white hand place below her mouth. She stopped a few feet away and stared up at them, her eyes hidden by the green helmet-like shape on her head.

"Whoa! A ralts!" Brendan shouted in awe, noticing the pokémon first and pointing at it excitedly. "Even my dad has trouble finding those in the wild! They're even rarer than the surskits that live around here!"

"Brendan!" May hissed, slapping her forehead in annoyance. "You probably just scared her a –"

Again, at the sound of May's voice, the ralts began to charge down toward the awaiting trainers, her head lowered as if to ram them down.

"She must hate your voice, May," muttered Brendan, causing the girl to glare at him again. "Now is your chance, Wally!" he commented, ignoring the fuming May as Wally's eyes followed the ralts like a predator stalking its prey. "Call out Norman's pokémon to battle!"

Wally blinked twice but obeyed Brendan's orders. Stepping back a bit, and fumbling with a pokéball, he stuttered, "Uh ... Go, zigzagoon!" He threw the pokéball, and a zigzagoon popped out in a blaze of brilliant white light, shaking his stripped brown fur. His nose twitched a bit as he turned around to face the petrified Wally, awaiting orders.

"Try using tackle," whispered Brendan helpfully.

Wally nodded. "Tackle attack!"

"Zig!" The zigzagoon nodded and darted over toward the awaiting ralts, his head lowered. When he got close enough, the racoon pokémon lifted his head, ramming straight into the ralts. Ralts skidded back a bit, her teeth clenching, before she jumped back onto the makeshift battlefield, growling in a high pitched tone. Zigzagoon's ears flattened back, his face cringing.

"Zigzagoon, try using your tackle again!" Wally commanded, sounding more confident as the battle progressed.

Again, the zigzagoon lowered himself to the ground and dashed over toward the ralts, colliding with her and sending her flying backward into the trunk of a tree. She slowly slid down toward the tree's roots, her eyes closed shut. The trainers could tell that ralts was weak with her exasperated gasps of breath and the slouched position she was in – a clear sign that Wally should try capturing it. He pulled out the empty pokéball from his pocket, pressing the button in the middle to enlarge it.

He then hesitated, looking at the white-haired trainer behind him for reassurance. "Um ... now what?" he questioned meekly.

Brendan raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to his left foot. "Well, throw it?"

"At?"

"The ralts, moron."

May gasped and punched a smirking Brendan on the arm, her eyes narrowing in anger. "Don't be so mean, Brendan!"

"Oh, come on, May! It's common sense! What else would you throw it at?"

Wally turned around, tuning out the bickering trainers behind him, his body quivering in nervousness. He looked at the ralts still slumped over and resting on the outer roots of the tree and then the pokéball gripped tightly in his hand, nodding firmly. Reeling his arm back a bit, he managed to mutter, "Uh ... g-go pokéball!" as he released the ball from his grip, watching it spiral before hitting the ralts smack in the head, sucking her inside the ball in a beam of red light. The ball shook, and shook, and shook, until the familiar "ding" sounded.

Wally's jaw dropped from the sound, causing the fighting trainers behind him to stop arguing and look at the pokéball on the ground in awe. "Wow ..." he whispered, his heart racing. "I ... I did it ..." He closed his eyes, his face scrunching up before straightening out to reveal a beaming smile, joy running inside his veins. "Awesome! I caught a Ralts!" he yelled happily, running over toward the ball on the ground, picking it up and holding the pokéball at arm's length. He jumped up and down excitedly. "I did it!"

May smiled at his antics. "Let's go show my dad then!"

* * *

Wally burst through the doors, a very different entrance compared to his earlier arrival. His hair was messy and his eyes were frantic as they swept the room for the gym leader. He finally spotted Norman sitting at his desk, and he rushed over, almost tripping over his feet. "Norman!" Wally said breathlessly, standing in front of the desk and waving his pokéball in the air. "Look! I caught something! And not just anything either, but a ralts! A real, live pokémon!" He then fished inside his pocket and grabbed Norman's own pokéball, handing it back to him. "Thank you for lending me a pokémon!"

Norman, a little bewildered at Wally's entrance, looked up from his paperwork and chuckled as he took back his zigzagoon from Wally. "Good job, Wally!" he congratulated as he placed his zigzagoon back in his belt holder. He noticed Brendan and May enter the gym, walking and standing behind the green-haired boy. "I trust that Brendan and May helped you okay?"

"Yeah, they did. That reminds me –" Wally turned around to face the two trainers behind him. He looked toward May, smiling. "Thank you so much, May, for supporting me. It really helped!"

May smiled sweetly in return. "No problem! I'm always happy to help others!"

Brendan blinked twice, gaping, looking back and forth between the smiling May and an oddly blushing Wally. What the heck? _He_, Brendan, was the one that helped Wally catch a pokémon while May stood there like a wide mouthed baboon who continually kept socking him in the arm. He was the one that told Wally about what attack to use on the ralts. He was the one that helped Wally actually capture the ralts. Where was his thanks? Where was his praise? And why the hell was this Wally kid blushing anyway? He didn't like her, did he – not that Brendan cared or anything.

Wally tore his eyes away from May's and looked at the floor, his cheeks still flushed red. "Heh ... It's quite hot in here."

The white-haired trainer snorted. "Not really since this IS an air-conditioned building," Brendan growled under his breath. May elbowed him in the arm sharply, glaring.

"Yes, it's really hot." Norman covered up for Brendan and smirked at him. "Maybe someone switched the air-conditioner to the heater."

There was a tense silence as Brendan tried his best not to glare at the green-haired kid he was starting to dislike. He couldn't get over the fact that he thanked May, that stupid girl that still sleeps with a night light, instead of him, who did all the work. And not only that, but he may like that stupid girl, too! He didn't care though. Nope. Not a bit.

The doors cracked open a bit, and the head of a woman peeped around the door, curly brown hair drooping in front of her eyes. "Wally, dear! Time to go!" she said, using one of her fingers to move the hair away from her face. She opened the door wider, revealing her slightly plump frame. Her eyes, the same dazzling shade of green like Wally's, sparkled in the light of the gym.

"That's my mom," remarked Wally, waving at his mom, a small smile on his face and the flush in his cheeks dying down. "I'm moving to Verdanturf Town and living with my aunt. My parents say the breeze there will be better for my health." He bound for the door toward his mom and embraced her in a hug. He then turned around, facing a grinning May and Norman and an irritated Brendan who seemed lost in his thoughts. Shrugging, he remarked, "I guess I'll see you later! Bye, May and Norman! Oh, and Brandon!" Wally walked out with his mom and closed the door behind him.

That was it. That was the final straw. He knew he was going to have problems with this kid. First not thanking him and now messing up his name? "It's _Brendan_!" Brendan shouted at the closed wooden doors, fuming.

Norman laughed out loud and clapped the flustered Brendan on the shoulder while wrapping his arm around May's. "Well, you two better get going. I suspect that you're eager to get to the next city." He urged them toward the entrance, kicking the door open with his foot. A cool breeze greeted them, whipping around their faces.

"Hey! When do we get to battle you?" May asked as her father pushed them out of the gym and onto the concrete floor outside.

"Don't worry about. Soon enough." Norman smiled as he stopped at the door frame, releasing Brendan and May from his grasp. The two trainers turned toward him as he crossed his arms and smiled warmly. "You know, May. I am proud of you. I'm glad you decided to become a trainer."

May rolled her eyes. "Are you going to get emotional on me?" she whined.

Norman let out a small laugh again. "I won't, I promise. I just never thought I'd see this day, that's all." He then looked firmly at Brendan who's eyes went wide from the contact. "You'll take care of her for me, won't you?"

"Daaaad!" complained May. "I don't need anyone, especially him –" She looked at Brendan with disgust, causing the boy to let out a flustered groan, "– to take care of me. I'll be fine!"

"I know, I know. You take care of him too, May. You two, eventually, are going to have to pull together to get out of tough situations. I know right now you both might not agree with your moms or Professor Birch, or hell, even me, but you'll be glad you two have each other. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. You might not even realize it until you do split up, which, yes, may happen one day. But ... well, it'll work out."

Brendan snorted and received yet another punch to the arm again. He grumbled, rubbing the sore spot. "It was nice to meet you, Norman," he stated, doing his best not to glare at the gym leader's daughter.

Norman nodded, stepping inside the gym a bit and placing one hand on the door. "Likewise, Brendan." He then looked at May. "Well? Do I get a hug or not?"

May smiled and walked closer to her father, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tight. "I'll be okay, Dad. I promise."

"I know, May. You're a good kid." Norman let go of his daughter and ruffled the top of her hair, causing her to whine in annoyance. "All right, you two. Get out of here."

"Bye, Dad!" said May as Brendan descended down the stairs. She raced after him, turning around a bit and waving at her father until he closed the door of the gym. Turning back around, she crashed into the back of Brendan who stopped at the foot of the staircase. About to yell at him, Brendan clasped a hand over her mouth. She huffed and pounded her foot on the ground, but the boy simply pointed to a group of people a few yards away, two of those people being Wally and his mom.

"Okay. Bye, Wally-kins!" the duo overheard Wally's mother say to Wally as she released him from her embrace. "We'll come visit you in Verdanturf Town soon, okay?"

Wally nodded, sniffling a bit to hold back his tears. "I love you, Mom, and I miss you already!" Wally replied, stepping back a bit to stand next to another older woman, most likely the aunt that Wally was going to live with. He looked around a bit and spotted May and Brendan again, waving at them. "Good-bye again, May and Brandon," he yelled cheerfully. "And thanks again!" May waved goodbye back as he left with his aunt, while Brendan crossed his arms and scowled.

Wally's mom made her way toward the two trainers, a watery smile on her face. "I want to thank you both for helping Wally catch a pokémon. I haven't seen him smile like that for ages. He's been a sickly boy ever since he's been a young child. We believe that the air is better in Verdanturf Town is better there than here, so it should help with his breathing problems. It's just hard to see him go ..." Wally's mom wiped at the tears falling from her cheeks. "There I go, crying again. I promised I wouldn't cry."

"He's a good kid," said May thoughtfully.

This made Mrs. Wood smile wider. "Thank you, May. Anyway, I have to go now. Thanks again May and _Brendan_."

Brendan smiled along with May, finally glad that someone got his name right – other than May – today.

* * *

Brendan and May exited Petalburg City to start their trek toward Rustboro. The dusky, dirt path quickly changed itself into the pathless stretch of beach, soft sand slipping into their shoes. The taillows were making their finals tweets as the end of the day approached. The sun had already set behind the mountains, the sky caught in between a period of light and dark. Rays of orange sunlight grasped at the night air, but the night prevailed, sweeping over the canvas of the sky. Despite this peaceful picture, there was nothing but awkward silence between the two rookies. May was still irritated with Brendan, leaving the white-haired trainer confused. He sure this wouldn't be the first time the girl would be mad at him without him knowing why either.

"So ..." Brendan began, trying to lighten the mood. He turned his head toward the side where the glimmering ocean winked back at him, waves thrusting themselves toward the shore before retreating back in a loud splash. "Uh, look! The beach! Isn't it cool? I liked going to the beach when I was little. It was very fun. Did you go to the beaches in Johto when you were little?"

"Huh?" May said, clearly bored, twiddling her thumbs, not paying much attention to Brendan blabbering. "Oh, yeah. I did hear the legend of Ho-Oh when I was little, yeah."

Brendan only rolled his eyes. "Apparently we're not on the same topic." He looked at the sky, the silver moon eyeing him back. "Hmm ... It's getting late, so we better set up camp." He pointed toward a nearby clearing settled in a grassy patch next to the sand. "There's a good spot. We shouldn't get too much sand in our belongings there, I hope."

May stopped dead in her tracks, looking at the spot in disdain. She put her hands on her hips, her eyes wide. "You want _me_ to sleep _here_? Outside?" She then gulped. "In the wilderness? Brendan, why don't we go back to Petalburg and sleep in the pokémon center instead? It is only a fifteen walk back after all."

"Well, why did we travel out here then? That would make all our walking pointless, and from all that complaining you did, I'm pretty sure you hate walking," replied Brendan, walking over toward the clearing and unhooking his sleeping bag from his backpack. He unrolled it, flapping it in the air to rid it of wrinkles before setting it on the floor. Bending down a bit, he began to gather nearby twigs and leaves for a fire, piling it up in the center of the clearing. "Besides," he looked up at May, smirking, "I thought you weren't afraid of the dark."

"I'm not!" the girl protested, stamping over and pouting.

"Then prove it. Sleep outside, girl."

"I don't need to prove anything to you, and for the umpteenth time, my name is _May_!"

"Right, right." Brendan dropped to his knees and swung his backpack around, digging inside his backpack for a couple of matches. He struck them, trying to ignite a flame. "Fine, leave. I'm not leaving though. Go ahead. Walk back. Alone. In the dark."

May looked down the path they came from. While it was lit from the rays of the setting sun earlier, darkness quickly engulfed it. She gulped, fidgeting nervously a bit before glaring at the back of her cocky companion. "Fine! I'll stay because I know you need me!" she finally stated, sitting down next to Brendan and watching him try to start a fire, her nose scrunched up.

"Of course I do, May," muttered Brendan, still unsuccessfully trying to ignite a fire. He continually scratched at the rough surface of the matchbox book, but no spark. He gritted his teeth, frustration taking over him. "Ugh! Why don't these stupid matches work!"

May rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at Brendan's attempts at getting a fire started. Pulling out her pokémon's pokéball, she released her faithful Flare. Flare jumped up and down in place a bit before jumping into May's lap, cuddling against her chest.

"Aren't you a cutey today, Flare?" cooed May, scratching the torchic on the top of her head, causing her to chirp happily. She then picked up Flare, turning around to face the pile of twigs. "Do you mind helping him out by getting a fire started?"

Flare nodded and hopped out of May's lap. She blew up her cheeks before blowing out reddish-orange flames at the pile of twigs, the foliage immediately catching on fire and starting a warm campfire. Unfortunately, or maybe luckily in May's opinion, Brendan didn't catch onto May's plan and didn't pull away from Flare's Ember attack, so his finger was caught in the inferno. With wide eyes, Brendan looked at his smoking finger and yelled loudly, quickly jumping onto his feet and running toward the ocean, dipping his burnt finger in the cool water.

"Sunuva – I can't believe – you are such a stupid –" May ignored Brendan's steady stream of curses, rolling her eyes.

"Talk about weenie roast ..." May murmured to the pokémon who giggled in response.

"I heard that!" Brendan shouted as he walked back toward the campsite, sitting down grumpily on his sleeping bag. He sucked on his finger, trying to soothe the pain.

"Suck it up, baby," murmured May as she thanked Flare before returning her inside her pokéball. "Rather, suck on it." She laughed quietly to herself, unclipping her own sleeping bag from her fanny pack, uncurling it and laying it out straight next to Brendan's, surprising him. She slipped off her shoes and fanny pack, placing them neatly near the head of her sleeping bag.

"Uh ..." Brendan stuttered a bit, noticing how close the girl would be sleeping to him. He, too, took off his shoes and slid his legs inside his sleeping bag, though he still sat up. "Let's ... uh, just sleep early tonight. We got a lot of walking to do tomorrow."

"Great." May sighed, blowing up her bangs before sliding herself inside her sleeping bag. She rolled onto her side, looking at Brendan for the final time that night. "Well, pleasant dreams, B Boy!" She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, the sound of the tide crashing on the shore lulling her to sleep.

Brendan wasn't so lucky. He kept looking at May's sleeping form, unable to lie down, worried. _Calm down, Birch,_ he thought to himself, finally forcing himself to lie on his back. _It's just a girl, like, a foot away from you. It's not like you're going to jump on top of her or she's going to roll onto you –_

There was a rustle of leaves and the breaking of twigs from the nearby bushes. May woke up, alarmed, and rolled on top of Brendan, her eyes wide. "What was that?" she asked worriedly, peering into the bewildered orbs of the boy trainer.

Brendan flushed and thanked the legendary pokémon for the darkness of night. "It's probably just a wild pokémon, stupid." Might as well keep his dignity while he was at it.

"Oh, yeah ..." May let out a deep breath in relief. "Sorry, Brendan," she apologized, rolling off of Brendan and back into her spot. "Good night again!"

"Uh ... No problem, May ... G-good night."

May yawned and fell asleep again, leaving Brendan to his thoughts. He rolled on his back to look at the stars. _You idiot, Brendan! _he scolded himself in his head. _One minute you're all cool, and the next you can't even say a sentence! It's only a girl after all! And I'll admit that she is kinda of sort of cute in a strange, awkward kind of way but still! Just remember, if something DOES happen to her, her dad will kill you, not unless your parents don't kill you first! Okay ..._

Finally, Brendan shut his eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.


	4. Gotta Catch at Least One

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon. Big woop there.

(It is a big woop. This is Breezy from March 2005 mind ya. Not the December 2004 one. There's a difference. Alright, not really, I'm still sarcastic and all that fun stuff. Anyway, enjoy. I guess lol.)

(Stop right there Breezy from March 2005. This is now Breezy from August 2005 who wants to say there is no longer at PTT because it's retarded and the fact that this Breezy shall now do the commentary on the author notes. Cheese! ;o;)

* * *

**Gotta Catch at Least One**

**

* * *

**

It was six-thirty in the morning as Flare, May's torchic, gazed happily at the amber-golden sun rising over the ocean waters. Her trainer and that guy that she was traveling with weren't awake yet, and she couldn't find Mudkip anywhere, leaving her to her lonesome. She didn't mind though; she loved the serenity of nature after all.

A voice from behind interrupted this peaceful picture though. "Flare?" Mudkip asked behind the chick's back, cocking his head to the right, puzzled. "Aw, you're lucky that you already got a nickname already."

Flare turned around and smirked sheepishly, ruffling her feathers." That's because girls are more creative than boys, Muddy. But besides that, want to join me?" she asked politely.

Mudkip sat down next to Flare on the sandy ground, rolling his bright orange eyes. "Don't call me that, and what's that suppose to mean?"

"What? Girls are more creative than boys?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, they are!"

"You keep thinking that if it makes you feel better."

Flare rolled her eyes right back at the mudkip in response. "So ..." she remarked, trying to change the subject. "What do you think of our new trainers? I think May is cool!"

Mudkip looked back at his trainer with disdain mixed in with amusement. Brendan was sprawled all over his sleeping bag, a trail of drool drying at the bottom of his chin, his legs sprawled out in an awkward position. "I think Brendan is ... He's uh ... Let's just say I see humans in a whole new light."

Flare chirped brightly in return, giggling at Mudkip's remark to her question. "Humans ... Go figure."

Mudkip noticed both May and Brendan twitching, the eyes of the girl trainer's slowly cracking open. He jumped up and down in place to alert the torchic next to him. "Shh, they're waking up!"

With golden rays of sunlight peeking through the trees, the new girl trainer awoke from her slumber in pure bliss. This bliss though was soon interrupted, though, as the girl turned her head, her eyes widening in shock.

"Ah! Too close for comfort, you pervert!" May screamed as she sat up and thwacked Brendan with her pillow repeatedly. It turned out that Brendan was in May's "personal zone".

"Latios, _what?_" Brendan sat up grumpily, only to eat a face full of cloth and feathers. Annoyed, he grabbed the pillow and dropped it in his lap, scowling. "It's only six thirty in the morning! What the heck did I do this time?" He threw the pillow back at May, who easily dodged it, keeping her girly composition despite the fact she was acting like a wild mankey with rabies.

The girl stomped over toward her pillow, picking it up and dusting the dirt off it. "You were in my personal space!" May cried as if the answer was obvious, hitting Brendan with her pillow once again. "Too close for my liking! Stop moving in your sleep you ... you ... sleep mover!"

"Well, sorry," Brendan replied sarcastically, standing up to retrieve his pillow, rolling his ruby eyes in frustration. "It's not like I was the one that put your sleeping back so close to mind last night. It's not like I forced you to sleep there or anything." Latios did this girl bug him for the stupidest things.

"Ugh!" May huffed, blowing up her bangs and putting her hands on her hips. She then looked at her bewildered torchic who hopped besides her, looking up at her questionably. "Let's go, Flare!" She bent over and rolled up her sleeping bag, hastily tying it to her fanny pack. She then swooped up her pokémon in her arms, slid on her shoes, and headed out of the campsite, clearly angered by the morning.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Brendan yelled from behind May's back, his clenched fists resting in his lap. "We're suppose to travel together, remember?"

"I know that, Santa Clause, but I'm going on a walk! I'll see you later!" May shouted back, going back toward Petalburg City, Flare riding in her arms joyfully.

The boy scratched his head. "Santa Clause?" Brendan asked his pokémon as he bounced his way over, confused. "What is that suppose to mean?"

Mudkip jumped up into Brendan's arms and only grinned cheekily. "Well, last year, when I was still in your dad's lab, one of the professor's assistants told his kids about Christmas. He told him that Santa has white hair, and you have white hair, so I'm guessing that's where May's comeback, 'Santa Clause' comes into play. But the only problem is that you have no stuffing in the stomach." Mudkip poked Brendan's stomach with his nose and laughed.

Brendan blinked twice. "Right, Mudkip, but she didn't have to walk off like that. Why did she walk off?"

"Didn't you hear her? You were in the lady's 'personal space,'" Mudkip answered cheekily, pawing at Brendan's chest. He then pushed himself up onto his hind legs and climbed up Brendan's body, finally reaching the top of his head and lying flat on his belly there, his front paws dangling in front of his trainer's eyes.

Brendan, after all that hard work his pokémon did to get there, took Mudkip off his head and placed him back down in his arms, feeling his pokémon squirm uncomfortably in his grasp. "For being too smart for your own good," he remarked with a smile, "you have to face my tickle attack!"

Mudkip rolled on his back laughing, while Brendan tickled his tummy, still holding on to him. Such a happy picture was soon interrupted moments after though, for a loud bark from behind ruined it with its shrillness. Both trainer and pokémon alike stopped giggling at once and slowly turned around to the bushes on the ledge behind them.

"Hey, what was that?" Brendan asked worriedly, eyes peering into the distance to find where the noise was coming from.

Mudkip jumped out of Brendan's arm and onto the sandy ground with ease as he took a battle stance to protect his trainer from harm. He hopped onto the ledge, poking his head into the bushes. He then stepped back a bit, alarmed as a poochyena popped out, snarling at him viciously. Mudkip growled right back, and tackled poochyena on his own angrily. "Don't snarl at me, dog boy!"

Brendan, a bit surprised at the pokémon that jumped out, snapped back into reality, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Go, Mudkip! Use your Mudslap attack!" he ordered.

Mudkip turned around used his hind legs, scraping the sand and hitting the hyena pokémon with dirt clods and sand. Poochyena's howled in protest, his eyes watering from the attack as he blinked several times, trying to rid his eyes of the dirt.

"Hurry before the sand clears from his eyes! Tackle him again!" Brendan commanded, getting an empty pokéball from his backpack ready. He enlarged it with the press of the button, smirking.

Mudkip tackled poochyena off the ledge and onto the beach below. Although the soft sand cushioned his fall, the poochyena was still knocked out, his legs flailing in the air. Running a hand through his hair and reeling his arm back, Brendan threw the ball toward the weary dog, the smooth surface of the ball running past his gloved fingers. "Go Pokéball!" The ball spiraled in a blur of red and white and caught the poochyena in a red beam of light. Brendan waited impatiently for the pokémon to give up as it shook around in its ball, and finally it did. Ecstatic, Brendan ran toward the pokemon, sand getting inside his shoes, and bent over picking it up.

"Yes! I caught a poochyena!" he shouted excitedly, holding it arm's length away, the ball's shiny surface reflecting in the morning sun. He then paused. "Now, if I can only think of a nickname for poochyena too."

Mudkip rolled his eyes but got up and jumped into Brendan's arms, poking the pokéball in his trainer's arm with his nose. "Yay! We did it! Now you can show it off to May and think you're all that!"

Brendan sighed and clipped poochyena's pokéball to his belt. "Out of all the pokémon in the world and all the mudkips in Hoenn, I got the one that's a smart aleck."

Mudkip smiled innocently, as he sniffed the air, his nose catching May's scent. "B Boy! May's here! And by the smells of it, she got a new pokémon with her just like you! So much for showing off now, huh?"

Brendan rubbed the back of his head, feeling drops of sweat run down from the hot morning. "Right, Mudkip," he muttered, looking down the path and spotting the familiar, lean figure of the girl trainer. She came closer toward the campsite, the design of her red bandanna becoming more clearer. "Hey, May!" he shouted, waving at her. "Did you have fun walking?"

May ran over to Brendan, Flare riding on her shoulder and a small swallow-looking pokémon flying above her head. He noticed the red and blue feathers of the flying type, quickly noting it off as a taillow, a commonly found bird pokémon around these parts of Hoenn. "Yeah, it was fun without you," she giggled, smiling. She then pointed up toward the swallow circling around her head. "But look! I caught a taillow! I nicknamed him Tai! He told me that he saw you catch a poochyena when he was flying overhead! Good job!"

Brendan nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, but I don't have a name for him either," he groaned. "But I guess I have enough time to think of a name with you and your 'walks.'"

May smiled. "Sure, whatever you say." Clutching Flare to her chest, the girl turned to her right and looked at another path up the sandy hill. The grainy path eventually lead into the gaping mouth of a dark forest, the thick branches of the trees letting in very little sunlight. "All right, B Boy," she said, gulping. "Let's get it over with. Let's get through Petalburg Forest –"

"Not so fast!" two trainers cried, walking down the path toward them. "If you want to get in the forest, you have to beat us first!"  
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Sorry, but I have to stop here because my sis is having a fit lol. We still have to go to that dumb party even though I see the kid everyday lol.

(Breez from August 2005. Anything in parenthesis from here on out is either actions or my thoughts. Yes. That party was dumb. Dumb indeed. So was this chapter. Yay!)

But anyway update later or tomorrow I dunno.

(Now I update once in a millennium XD)

LaTeR dAyZ!

(What she said)

**Last Revision: 04/05/09**


	5. Into the Forest

Lol, I just reread my last chapter and I made Brendan sound like a sort of idiot. Hehe.

Thanks for the reviews, guys!

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**Into the Forest**

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Brendan and May blinked a couple of times as the form of the two trainers that challenged them came closer. One reminded him of his friend Joey he left back around Oldale Town with his backwards blue baseball cap and wrinkly, grass stained shorts. The other one seemed unsuited to travel, dressed richly in a red blazer and perfectly ironed gray slacks, his blond hair slicked back finely.

"Battle, huh?" Brendan smirked once the two challenging trainers reached them. Raising poochyena's pokéball to his chest, he remarked, "Okay. How about a double battle? You two against us, one pokémon each. Sound good to you?"

May nudged Brendan in the chest, sighing, noticing the bewildered expressions on the other trainers' faces. "I apologize for my ... companion's rude behavior. I don't think he's used to speaking to other humans. His parents only let him out of his natural habitat for only a couple of days now." She smiled cheekily at the glare Brendan gave her. "My name is May, and this jerk here is Brendan." She outstretched her hand as greeting. "What are your names?"

The boy in the richly colored suit extended his arm back, shaking May's hand firmly, smiling smugly and showing off his perfect, white teeth. "My name is Winston," he answered, his voice holding a distinct, snobbish accent.

The younger, messy boy next to Winston pointed to himself with his thumb. "And I'm Calvin!"

Brendan stepped into between May and the two other boys. "Yeah, yeah; enough of the introductions," he muttered, rolling his eyes. He then wiped at his nose cockily. "Let's start this battle already. I'm itchin' to use my new pokémon in battle. Like I said earlier before I was rudely interrupted –" He looked at May through the corner of his eye, "– are the rules I set okay?"

Both Calvin and Winston looked at each other before nodding. "Fine," they answered in unison. They then both walked a couple of feet away so there would be enough space for a battle.

"Great!" May smiled at the thought of a battle before fierceness embedded itself in her sapphire eyes. She pointed her head up to look at the swallow pokémon that still circled around her head. "I choose you, Tai!" She pointed at Tai who chirped in reply, circling around May's head before flying out toward the battlefield, flapping his red and blue wings.

Calvin examined May's choice in pokémon and chose his own pokémon, unclipping it from his belt. Reeling his arm back, he yelled, "I choose you, Wingull!" before throwing the red and white ball toward the ground. A small, white seagull flew out from the ball, chirping from her sharp, yellow beak. She spread her wide wings as she circled around the battlefield, revealing light blue feathers that tipped the ends.

"Let's go, Poochyena!" Brendan threw the pokéball in his hand toward the battlefield. In a blast of white light, Brendan's newly caught pokémon jumped out, shaking his black and gray fur and stretching his tiny legs adorned with sharp claws. He yawned, revealing his fangs as he blinked his bright, red eyes that matched his owner's. It was obvious that the poochyena just woke up from a nap after recently being captured.

Finally, Winston chose his pokémon. "Go, Zigzagoon!" Winston let out a tiny raccoon pokémon that Brendan and May have encountered several times already and quickly commanded the first attack without the other trainer's consent. "Attack that taillow with a Tackle attack!"

Zigzagoon pawed at the growl, snarling cutely, before jumping up toward Tai in an attempt to tackle him but failed when Tai flew up higher to dodge. The zigzagoon landed on the ground roughly, turning his head to see Tai chirp at him mockingly. The zigzagoon, in return, growled menacingly, hopping around to face forward.

"Stupid move," Brendan whispered to May, who giggled in response.

Regaining composure, May commanded, "Let's go, Tai! Peck Attack right back!" while pointing at at the zigzagoon.

Tai obeyed, swooping down, the wind running through his feathers. He flapped his wings a few times to stop himself from crashing into the ground, rapidly beating them to stay in the air while repeatedly pecking his hard, yellow beak into the whining zigzagoon's back. The raccoon bared his teeth and snapped at the taillow, making him fly away quickly.

"Enough of this! Go, Wingull! Use your Water Gun attack on the poochyena!" Calvin ordered.

Wingull inhaled deeply, his chest puffing out, before sending out a jet of water at Poochyena. Poochyena gritted his teeth as the attack hit dead on, the force of the water blowing him back a few feet, kicking back sand in his wake, but he held his ground. He barked stubbornly and jumped back onto the field, his fur dripping wet, glaring at the seagull.

"Use your Bite attack on the zigzagoon, Poochyena!" Brendan shouted to his pokémon.

Poochyena barked in response and dashed over the wide-eyed zigzagoon, snapping down hard on his tail. The zigzagoon squealed and frantically started to run in circles, dragging the poochyena behind in the dirt. Poochyena only bit down harder in return, causing the zigzagoon to squeal again and trip over his feet, knocking his head hard on the dirt. Dazed, the zigzagoon got back up as the hyena released it from his jaws, only to stumble about dizzily and fall back to the ground, exhausted.

The younger boy trainer slapped his forehead. "We're doomed," Calvin said sadly as Winston returned his zigzagoon in a beam of red light. He then shook his head, focusing on the battle. Pointing at his pokémon, he yelled, "Let's try and win this anyway! Use your Supersonic on the taillow!"

Wingull opened her sharp beak, and out poured a high pitched screech, deafening to the human ear, let along the sensitive ears of a pokémon. All four trainers covered their ears, their faces cringing, as the wingull turned her head toward May's taillow, the high pitched screeched blocking out her hearing. Tai flew about in confusion, circling around the field and chirping to himself, his eyes glazed over.

"Oh, no, Tai! Try concentrating and use another Peck!" May commanded, worried about her pokémon's health.

Tai's eyes were still glossed over, yet he zoomed over to what he assumed to be the wingull, a very still moving, gigantic wingull. As he got closer, his blurred vision became crisper, noticing that the very still moving, gigantic wingull wasn't really a wingull but an oak tree instead. He tried to stop, causing some of his feathers to scatter off his body and drift toward the ground, but he ended up eating a beak full of bark, his head colliding sickeningly with the tree. He fell down onto his belly before pushing himself back up, tweeting, even more confused due to the collision.

Brendan rubbed the back of his neck as May nervously fidgeted with her fingers. "Tackle up, Poochyena!" he commanded, realizing that he was only one that could attack right now. "Hit that wingull!"

Poochyena nodded, running fast and jumping as high as he could, but the wingull simply evaded it by flying higher like Tai did with the zigzagoon. Poochyena landed on the ground and quickly turned around, trying to ram the seagull with his head again, but wingull flew up even higher, chirping cheekily.

"Since Poochyena won't be able to hit that wingull, try to stall as long as you can until Tai snaps out of his confusion," May whispered, watching her bird fly circles in a daze carefully.

"All right," Brendan replied, agreeing with May's plan. "Hang in there, Poochyena!" he cheered.

Poochyena barked, encouraged, as he dodged another stream of water the wingull sent at him. He skid across the ground, kicking up dirt that swirled around his head. He then looked up, his tongue hanging out of his mouth to look at his partner in the battle. Tai was still flying around aimlessly, chirping to himself.

"C'mon, Tai! Try and focus! Use your Tackle attack!" The girl trainer looked at Tai. Tai had stopped flying around and circles and hovered in the air, looking at his trainer, his head cocked to the side. "For me?" May finally pleaded.

Tai seemed to get over his dizzy state and expanded his wings, zooming straight toward the wingull and hit him directly, his beak pinning him in the head. The taillow then thrust his head, sending the wingull flying, squawking all the way until it hit the trunk of a tree hard. The seagull slid down the tree until his disgruntled trainer returned him.

"All right! We won!" May cried happily, holding out her arm so her pokémon could rest on it. Tai's tiny talons wrapped themselves around May's arm, and the happy girl scratched his head, making him chirp in delight. Thanking him for a job well done before returning him to his pokéball, May looked at the grumpy Winston and the disheartened Calvin. "Now can we go through Petalburg Forest?" she asked the two defeated trainers.

"No way!" Winston remarked haughtily, crossing his arms. "After what you two did to my precious zigzagoon?"

Calvin rolled his eyes. "Ignore him; he can't take losing easily. You two go ahead, and good luck with the rest of your journey!"

The white-haired trainer returned his poochyena inside his pokéball after a friendly petting session. "Thanks, and you too! See ya when we see ya ... I guess!" Brendan replied as both he and May walked past the two defeated trainers, noticing Winston putting his foot out as if to trip him. Snorting, he stepped over it and continued walking, closing it on the entrance of the forest. "Well, that was fun."

May nodded in agreement, the breeze teasing her hair. "I've never been in a double battle before, but then again I've only battled against trainers three times now," she replied, running her hands up and down her arms to fight back the goosebumps.

"Same here except I've battled more than three trainers in my lifetime so far," Brendan replied, kicking a nearby stone across the path, his hands shoved inside the pockets of his pants. He kicked the stone particularly hard, and the stone hopped and skid across the dirt path, entering the forest. At that moment, both trainers stopped, trying to peer inside without entering. There were trees – a lot of them – that towered way above their heads. Scattered sunlight decorated the untamed long grass on the floor of the forest. It smelled like wet earth, much like after a storm.

"Wow ..." she murmured, her eyes wide. She shivered. "It's so dark in there. And cold."

"Well," Brendan muttered, looking at May. "Go in."

May merely scoffed. "Excuse me? Why do you want _me_ to go in first?"

"Um ... Ladies first?" he replied as if it were obvious.

May snorted, still not walking forward. "You're just scared, and you want me to get eaten by the monsters inside here first, I bet!"

"First night lights, now monsters? Seriously, girl, are you really fourteen years old or a five year old in disguise?"

"I swear to GOD, if you call me 'girl' one more time –" May's threat was interrupted as Brendan brushed past her, entering the forest nonchalantly, whistling a quiet tune to himself. She stomped her foot, his arms stiff at her sides. "HEY! Are you listening to me? Don't you walk away from me, you ...you stupid boy, you!" She hurried after the boy, disregarding her fear of her forest (though she wouldn't dare admit this to that stupid boy), crashing into his back.

The boy turned around, looked at her in a disgusted manner, before pushing the girl away from his a bit to get his space. May merely huffed and walked a few quick steps to walk next to Brendan's side, observing the forest. While it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, she still wanted to get the heck out of there. Mud and loose blades of grass caked itself to her new shoes, and the occasional rustling in the bushes made her cringe a bit, worried that a bug pokémon – or something worse – would pop out. She looked up, the thick branches of the trees covering the sky, though a couple of rays of sunlight fought their way through and graced her face with its warmth. Looking down again, she turned her head to look at Brendan, that same, stupid, cocky smile on his face. How she wanted to just rub his face with a handful of mud, or something.

They walked in silence for a few moments, admiring the peaceful ambiance of chirping birds in the trees and a group of zigzagoons following after each other toward a berry bush. The pretty picture, at least in May's mind, was quickly interrupted by yet another stupid comment by Brendan.

"Hey, look! A, uh, tree!" he remarked, pointing at a particularly tall tree with heavy branches. "Yeah! A tree! Trees are cool! They help us breathe and they ... uh ... make good ... Christmas trees? Yes. I like trees."

May sighed before responding, looking shiftily to the side. "I know that since the second time I met you, you were staring at one."

"Har, har."

They continued to wander about in silence, looking for the exit. Brendan had only been in this forest a few times with his dad, and luckily there was a makeshift path that other trainers carved out that lead from the entrance to the exit, but that still didn't help them from not getting lost, especially when that stupid girl companion of his annoyingly tugged at his shirt sleeve to go in another direction. As they turned the corner, bright light and the scenery of a clear lake welcomed them – the exit. They emerged from the thickets of trees, squinting from the sudden brightness of light that greeted them.

As Brendan looked around, he noticed a building up ahead, colorful flowers planted below the clear windows. The smell of flowers drifted in the air, and he whiffed it in, breathing out deeply. His eyes then cast themselves toward a sign on a post that swung back on forth on its hinges. "Hmm ... a flower shop?" he read out loud quizzically, blinking twice.

"Yeah. They sell flowers," May sneered, rubbing her eyes, still adjusting to the light.

"But here?"

"Maybe because there's a lake nearby, and it's near a forest. Hmm ... Would this be an ideal place for a flower shop? I think so," May replied, smiling smugly. "Let's go in. I love flowers."

Brendan sighed as he followed May. May pushed the door open, the door chiming as it opened, and she entered, Brendan quickly following her inside. He watched as three girls of different ages were moving around, rearranging flowers in ceramic vases. The building was decorated warmly, rows of flowers decorating the sides while long, multicolored ribbons were tied at the ceiling. He turned around, noticing a clear doored freezer behind filled with flowers. Not being a plant expert, he assumed this helped the flowers last longer.

"Hello! How may I help you?" the eldest girl asked politely, looking up from her arrangement.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We're just um ... browsing." May smiled as the delicate scent of roses hit her nose. "I love flowers!"

"Oh, you do?" the lady asked, smiling in return. "Well, can you do us a favor then?"

"Um, sure. We'd love too! What is it?"

"We?" Brendan stated under his breath. His words went, luckily, unheard.

The lady walked away from her arrangement toward the counter that held the cashier. She bent over, looking at the shelves, standing up straight soon after, a watering can shaped like a wailmer in her hand. "Can you take this pail –" the lady walked around the counter toward May and handed her the can, "–and water the berry trees along your travels? I dream of a world filled with beautiful flowers." Her eyes sparkled at this statement, making the two younger sisters laugh at her antics. "Well, will you?" the lady asked, ignoring the giggles that her siblings were giving her.

"Yeah, of course!" May replied, putting the watering can in her bag.

"Good." The lady smiled brightly as she fished inside her apron and gave May two blue, pointed berries. "For coming all this way and for doing me that favor, here are some chesto berries on the house. Give one to your little boyfriend over there."

May blushed a little but accepted the berries in her open hands. "He's not my boyfriend," she muttered.

"Oh!" The lady blushed a little. "I'm sorry. It's just that you two make such a cute couple and –"

"Okay, well time to go!" Brendan quickly grabbed hold of May's shoulder, his cheeks flushing a light pink out of embarrassment. He spun her around toward the door despite her protests. "We'll water those trees for you! Thanks for the berries! Bye!" Brendan pushed May out the door. As soon as it closed, he yelled, "Can you believe that lady thinking we're going out?"

"Of course," she agreed. She then grinned, licking her lips. "Hell, you'd be lucky to date me!"

Brendan thought otherwise. "Maybe unlucky."

The nerve of that guy. Stupid boys. Rolling her eyes, she responded with the ever popular, "Whatever," before heading back inside the forest, swinging her hips.

Brendan didn't even bother to follow her. He sighed, walking toward a tree who branches bent over the lake's water, sitting down, and leaning against the base. Pulling a pokéball out, he released his faithful starter, a starter who arched his back immediately to stretch. "What I do this time, Mudkip?" he asked his pokémon.

Mudkip jumped and settled down in his lap to try and take a nap. "Talk. That's what you did," he replied simply, resting his head on Brendan's thigh.

"Yeah, sure. She'll be back," Brendan replied, closing his eyes and falling asleep.  
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Bad chapter. Well not one of my best anyway. I must be tired from that party last night lol.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 04/05/09**


	6. The Abandoned Pokemon

Wow, sorry. I didn't update yesterday because I ran out of ideas, but I'm fresh and new and have ideas now lol. Sorry again. I didn't keep my promise. I least I didn't swear it huh? Yupperz. Glad I didn't.

**Disclaimer****: **I don't own Pokemon or any related characters though I do own stuff. So much stuff that I can ... use it too ... um, juggle with. (kay, sorry lame disclaimer joke thing, but I said I had ideas for my story not the disclaimer, right?)

And sorry, but this is another Brendan POV - if you hate him that is. I'll get more May POVs somewhere in this story, but who knows when.

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**The Abandoned Pokémon**

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Brendan always found it peaceful sleeping outside, especially during the day. There was nothing like finding a nice, shady spot on a warm summer's day, settling down in a patch of soft grass underneath the branches of an oak tree, the odd rustling of leaves as the wind rushed passed lulling you slowly to sleep. And he did, his head feeling heavy and his eyelids drooping over his eyes, the warm wind his blanket. He felt his mudkip go limp in his lap as well, copying his idea. But then, all of a sudden, a loud screech jolted him out of his dreams. He jumped a bit, also waking up the disgruntled pokémon on his lap, his head turning back and forth.

"Whadwuzat?" the boy asked in a slurred, tired voice, looking down at the blinking mudkip on his lap who cocked his head to the side in confusion as well. "I hope I'm not hearing things again," Brendan grumbled, gingerly touching his forehead. "Last time I heard something, everyone thought I was crazy. Hmm ... Maybe that's why our last neighbors moved to Kanto ..."

Mudkip sighed, getting up and looking toward the peaceful lake, the wind lightly rippling through it. He flinched again as he heard another shout, his orange eyes traveling down the wooden bridge, its boards creaking in the wind. Near the end of the bridge on the opposite side of the lake was a boy, a year or two older than Brendan, bending over the lake, his voice booming occasionally as he yelled at something in the water.

"Maybe you should check that guy out," Mudkip suggested, nudging his head in the other trainer's direction. He then settled himself in Brendan's lap again and sighed happily once more, closing his eyes to rest.

Brendan merely stared at the resting pokémon in his lap. "Well, I would gladly get up, but there is a pokémon on my lap who's too lazy to get up, let alone walk."

"I'm small enough; carry me," replied the mudkip simply.

Rolling his eyes and holding his sleeping pokémon with a free arm, Brendan got up, shaking his legs a bit and rolling his shoulders back and forth to get rid of his backache. He then approached the bridge that connected Petalburg Forest to the bustling city of Rustboro, wearily stepping on the bridge and slowly crossing it. As he came closer to the odd trainer bellowing at the water, Brendan began to examine the trainer's appearance. Much like him, the trainer was clad in the traditional Hoenn trainer suit, those his were colored red and white unlike Brendan's black and red. His dark eyes pierced the lake, his thick build blocking whatever he was yelling at.

"What the _hell_?" Brendan heard the guy mutter as he got closer. "No wonder your old trainer got rid of you so fast. I knew trading my wingull for_ you_ was too good to be true. I mean, what good is an _electric_ type that can't use electric attacks?"

Brendan stepped toward the side of the bridge where he stood, trying to get a good luck of what the other trainer was talking about. In the water, peering up at the trainer through bright, red eyes was a small, chubby water type, water running down her rubbery blue skin. On top of her head was a thin dorsal fin that arched, supporting the weight of two yellow bulb-like balls.

Meanwhile, the other trainer snorted and turned around, walking toward the Rustboro. "Stay here. You are of no use to me."

"Hey, wait a minute!" the white-haired trainer blurted out, stopping the other trainer in his tracks. "You can't just leave ..." Brendan looked at the teary eyed pokémon in the water, confused. He wasn't really sure what it was. "You can't just leave her here," he corrected himself.

The other trainer merely gave a motion of his hand and continued walking forward. "Do something about it," he muttered to the glaring Brendan behind him.

Brendan didn't bother to chase after the older trainer as the pokémon in his arms squirmed out of his grasp and hopped onto the wooden planks of the bridge, getting eye to eye with the misty-eyed pokémon in the water. He followed her as she quickly swam after her trainer, only stopping when she reached the grassy border that surrounded the lake. She then cried out continually in a high-pitched, tearful moan.

Mudkip's ears perked up a bit, listening to the water pokémon's song as Brendan ran down the rest of the bridge, squatting next to his pokémon. "Well," asked Brendan, cringing a bit as the screams got louder. "What is she moaning on about?"

"Um ..." Mudkip's face twisted a bit, moving in closer toward the unaware pokémon next to them. "Something about not being able to use electric attacks? And if she could, she'd still be with her trainer? Don't know."

"Well, I did overhear that other trainer saying that she couldn't use electric attacks, making her 'pointless.'" He made sure to put invisible quotation marks around the last word with his fingers. Digging into his backpack, he remarked, "So what is she anyway?"

"I'm not your pokédex," replied the mudkip with an eye roll.

"Right." Brendan, still digging inside the depths of his backpack before pulling out a square red device; it was none other than his pokédex. He ran his hands across the cover, his gloves picking up dust. "Man, I haven't used this thing in awhile, though I probably should now that we're leaving the Littleroot area." He flipped the cover of his pokédex open, blowing on the screen. The pokédex beeped, scanning the crying pokémon in the water. "Hmm, it says she's a lanturn, mostly found in the Lilycove area. Wow, she's traveled far. Hmm ..." He scratched his head before putting his pokédex back in his backpack. He tentatively reached out, lightly touching the orb that dangled in front of the lanturn's eyes. No spark. "Funny."

"What?" Mudkip asked, laying flat on his belly and watching as the lanturn's mournful song was replaced with frantic swimming back and forth in front of pokémon and the boy.

"She really doesn't have electricity in her orb, otherwise she would have shocked me."

"I don't know, B Boy. You are pretty hardheaded."

"... That doesn't make any sense."

"Because you're hardheaded! See!"

Brendan huffed, ignoring his chuckling mudkip and again swung his backpack around to reach the front pocket, unzipping it. He pulled out a plastic bag filled with round brown balls of food. Taking one out, he held his hand out over the water where the frantic lanturn was swimming, ignoring the greedy, hungry look in his mudkip's eyes."

"Here, um ..." Brendan lightly pushed away the mudkip that was trying to hop into his lap, pawing at his arm. "Take this to eat. It's chocolate especially made for pokémon."

"I want one!" shouted the mudkip, pawing at Brendan's leg and trying to climb into his lap again.

Again, Brendan simply picked up his mudkip underneath his belly with his free hand and dropped him a bit away, making the pokémon scowl and turn his head away in mock anger. "Lanturn, here," he remarked in a quiet, calm tone, reaching his hand out further toward the lanturn who stopped swimming about, staring at Brendan with wide eyes. "It'll make you feel better. I promise."

"It'd make me feel better too," grumbled the mudkip, falling flat on his belly, his head still turned away.

Lanturn hesitantly swam her way toward Brendan's open palm, her back fin going back and forth slowly in the water. When she was close enough, she sniffed at the ball of chocolate in Brendan's hand before tentatively licking it with a pink tongue. Joy sprung up into the lanturn's eyes as she took the entire ball of chocolate in her mouth, chewing on it happily, her eyes sparkling.

Brendan smiled in return, picking up his annoyed, lethargic mudkip in his arms before standing up, looking down at the curious lanturn still in the water. "I hope you feel better now, and it was ... um, nice to meet you. We do got to go though."

"We do?" asked Mudkip curiously.

"Well, we do got to find May. She probably headed into Rustboro while we were sleeping, or something."

"Bah, that girl."

"I know, I know. But we told Dad that we would travel with her, and well –" He sighed, looking toward the city, its tall buildings casting shadows on the asphalt streets. "Anyway, we'll see you, Lanturn." He gave her a final smile and waved before turning around toward the city, but his trek soon stopped when he heard the same, familiar cries that the lanturn did early. He turned his head, noticing the same, whimpering look on the lanturn's face.

"Come on, Lanturn. I thought I cheered you up." Brendan walked back toward the lake and sat in front of the lanturn, his bottom getting wet from the damp grass. He placed his mudkip on his lap. "Don't be sad. There are plenty of wingull, magikarp, and goldeen for you to play with in this lake. Go and make friends with them."

Lanturn simply shook her head.

"You'll be okay, Lanturn. You might even find a better trainer to take care of you if that jerk doesn't come back." His eyes narrowed a bit as he looked toward the distance. He then looked down again, noticing the lanturn frantically shaking her head. "Oh, you have to stay here. I would love to have you as my pokémon, to be honest, but I don't know if your old trainer is coming back to get you –"

"Oh, c'mon, B Boy. That trainer isn't coming back, and even if he does, you know he's going to end up abandoning her again anyway," Mudkip piped in. "Could you really live with yourself knowing that you could have done something about that but ended up not doing anything?"

"I guess not." Brendan rubbed the back of his neck. "But still ... She's registered in his name. I can't just ... _take_ her ... Can I?"

"Again, I'm not your pokédex. Or your dad. Besides," at this, the mudkip slapped his tail fin against Brendan's belt, hitting the pokéballs clipped to it, "I'm pretty sure pokémon can only have one pokéball tied to them. I mean, you could try catching her, and if it doesn't catch her, that means she's still registered in his name ... I guess. I don't know. Worth a shot, anyway."

"That's a good idea, actually," Brendan admitted, unzipping the side pocket of his backpack and pulling out an empty pokéball. Pressing the button in the middle to enlarge it, he held the ball out and pressed it against the beacon of the lanturn's head. He waited, looking into the red eyes of the lanturn. She merely smiled and closed her eyes, her beacon flashing a dim light and zapping Brendan a bit.

"Ow!" Brendan quickly pulled back his hand and shook it in the air, shivering at the shock. "She zapped me! Wait a minute ... What the hell ... She zapped me!"

"Totally not repetitive at all," remarked Mudkip sarcastically.

"I'm serious! Remember the last time I touched her beacon? It didn't even spark, let alone light up. Yet this time she zapped me a bit. Granted, it wasn't much but," he sucked on his knuckles as if it would ease the pain, "it still hurt." He looked at the lanturn. "What was that about?"

Lanturn smiled coyly in answer.

"You must make her happy," remarked the mudkip. "Happy pokémon usually, well, are more prone to, uh, do things. Then again, you gave her chocolate, and chocolate makes pretty much anyone happy. Well, except things that are allergic to chocolate. Then they'd be sad if they ate chocolate." He shrugged at the odd look his trainer flashed him. Looking at the lanturn, he asked, "Well, do you want to come with us or not?"

"So blunt," muttered Brendan, glancing shiftily to the side.

"Well, it's better than getting shocked, isn't it?"

Brendan looked at the lanturn who immediately perked up at the attention. She then carefully swung her beacon forward toward the clutched pokéball in Brendan's right hand. "Well, I guess that's a yes then." Stretching his arm out again, Brendan pressed the ball against the rubbery blue of lanturn's skin, and the ball opened, sucking the pokémon in a beam of red light. The ball immediately locked without any shaking.

"Well, that's that," Brendan said, looking at the ball with wonder. "I guess the only way to make you officially mine is by nicknaming you?" He thought for a moment, making the ball's shiny surface reflect in the sunlight. "How about Sapphire? That's a cool name, huh?"

"Of course _she_ has a name," Mudkip grumbled, scowling and slapping Brendan with his tail in a playful matter. "Yet I don't? What's up with that, Brendan Birch? Don't you love me anymore? Don't you care?"

"Of course I do, Muddy."

"Why is everyone calling me that?" The mudkip scowled, going limp in Brendan's arms. "That is not my name."

"Sure it's not ... Muddy." Brendan grinned as the mudkip playfully slapped his cheek with his tail as he stood up. He then began to walk toward Rustboro, the shadows cast by the buildings swallowing him whole. Brendan visited Rustboro a few times with his dad, mostly for business, so he was pretty familiar with the settings. It was a pretty urban city, people bustling about, heading from one tall building with gleaming windows to the next. There were several apartment complexes and stores that took up an entire block of street. It wasn't a very colorful city with most of its buildings made out of gray stone, but most people were more enthralled with the insides of the buildings anyway.

Brendan shifted the mudkip in his arms to his left, passing by a pay phone. He look at it curiously before walking over toward it, touching the dirt-encrusted handle of it. Shoving a hand in his pocket for loose change, he shoved the money into the slot and dialed a number, listening to the dial tone.

"What are you doing?" asked the mudkip.

"Calling my dad about that lanturn," he answered in between the buzzing. "He might know something about her lack of electric – Hey, Mom. I was wondering if Dad was – yes, I'm still traveling with May. What – no, I'm not going to ditch her ... Rustboro, why? _Mooom_, you're not that far from Rustboro; you can pick that up yourself! ... Yes, I'm putting on deodorant like you said. Ugh, is Dad home, Mom? It's important. It's about a pokémon I just caught." He tapped his foot impatiently, sighing. "Mom, I do want to talk to you, honest, but I've only been gone for a day. I just need advice from Dad – yes, I'll be sure to call you if I need to learn how to cook something."

Mudkip looked up at him, prodding his trainer's chin with his top fin as Brendan sighed again, drumming his fingers on the metal casing of the pay phone. "Dad? Hey, Dad, it's me – no I'm not in trouble." He rolled his eyes. "I just caught this lanturn, but she doesn't seem to have any electricity in her beacon when I first met her. ... Yes, I already tried touching her beacon earlier, but no dice. Actually, she did shock me a little after I fed her chocolate, so I was wondering if maybe I could train her somehow to use her electric powers if I made her trust me a bit more and practiced with her – what? I don't know what level she is; how exactly do you check that anyway? Well, she did look a little young, I suppose. ... Can they even do that, Dad? Don't they need to evolve from Chinchins or whatever they're called?"

Mudkip rolled his eyes as Brendan shifted the phone to his other ear. "Chinchou, right. Whatever. That's besides the point. ... No, I'm not pretending I know more than you. ... Dad, now you're just – okay, I was nine when that happened. Can't we just let that die already? Ugh, anyway, yeah, I guess she is young, so maybe that's why her electric powers aren't really working. What? Well, it did light a bit, though it wasn't that strong. ... Really? Well, okay; I guess I'll let her roam around underwater for a bit to gather ... bacteria. Bacteria makes her beacon glow? ... Ah, I see. Good to know. ... Mudkip?" Brendan looked down at the mudkip in his arms. "No ... No ... Well, he likes to sleep a lot, but – okay, Dad. Fine. I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up the phone with a slight slam.

"Well, what did he say?" whined the mudkip as Brendan stared at the phone.

"He said that the lanturn probably evolved at a young age, and staying in their chinchou form is crucial for them to learn how to control their electric powers before they evolve," he replied, playing with the phone's metal cord by wrapping it around his finger. "Training with her exclusively should help her learn to use her electricity though. Anyway –" Brendan turned around only to bump his shoulder into a man clad in black and red, a red hoodie covering his hair.

"Watch it, punk," growled the stranger before darting down the street, turning around the corner.

Brendan stared down the road, shrugging. "What was that about?" Scratching his head, Brendan walked past the local pokémon center, its red roof sticking out amongst the gray building and was about to turn the corner where the man went when out emerged the girl companion in between the glass doors. He watched as she turned toward him, beaming a bit and running toward him.

"B Boy," she said breathlessly, catching up to him and pressing her gloved hand against his shoulder. Brendan shrugged her off, rolling her eyes. Huffing a bit, she asked, "What have you been doing all this time?"

"I could say the same to you," he muttered, looking down at May's waist and noticing a green ball with purple dots on her belt. "Where did you get the great ball? Those things aren't exactly cheap, you know."

"Long story," she replied, running a finger across the shiny surface of the ball and smiling proudly. "Well, not really. While I was in the forest, there was some guy looking for some pokémon. A shroom something."

"Shroomish," corrected Brendan matter-of-factly.

May waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, while we were looking, this guy in black and red came up behind us and stole this guy's briefcase. I immediately battled that guy and won quite easily, I might add –" it was Brendan's turn to wave May off with a motion of his hand, "– and I got the briefcase back. The guy looking for the shroomish was so happy that he gave me a great ball. And you'll never guess what I got!"

"Pokedolls?" murmured Brendan under his breath.

"No, stupid. Look!" May pointed at the strap of her fanny pack where a gleaming, gem-shaped yellow badge shone in the sun. She beamed again. "I just got it!"

"Holy crap! When?" Brendan exclaimed, bending over a bit to look at the badge. Sure enough, as he learned from school, May acquired the stone badge, the badge given by the Rustboro gym leader.

May rubbed her chin. "Hmm, a hour ago or so. Why?"

Brendan looked at the mudkip in his arms. "How long ago were we asleep, Muddy?"

"I refused to answer to that name," the mudkip snorted.

"I was only in the forest for thirty minutes or so, and I passed by you. You were sleeping so peacefully, so I didn't bother waking you up," May answered helpfully.

"But ... how did you win?" Brendan asked ludicrously. "All you have are a flying and fire type, both of which are weak to rock. I'm positive the Rustboro gym leader uses rock types, right?"

May nodded.

"So ... how?"

May cracked her knuckles and smirked. "I have my ways, Brendan, I have my ways ..."

Brendan stared dully at her.

"All right, all right. It was a one versus one battle, and those darn rocks are so slow that my sweet little Tai had no problem dodging them and getting a few to land on the gym leader's pokémon's head. And as you know, rocks are weak against rocks for some reason and ..." She trailed off as Brendan smiled back smugly at her, crossing her arms. She blew up the bangs on her forehead in annoyance. "Oh, give me a break, B Boy. I work with what I got, and you got to admit that's a pretty creative way of working a disadvantage into an advantage. Either way ..." She tried pushing Brendan toward the gym, but he stood firm. She backed up a bit and ran into his back, but again he stood his ground. Groaning, she muttered, "C'mon, you jerk. Go and challenge the gym leader. You already know she's a rock-type gym leader after all, and you do have a mudkip."

"A mudkip that can't use water attacks yet," he added in, smiling sheepishly at the glaring mudkip in his arms.

"Oh, you'll figure something out, I'm sure."

"But I don't think I'm ready," Brendan said worriedly.

"Don't worry! You'll do fine!" she assured him. "Now let's go!"

"But – ack!" Brendan rebutted but was dragged by the ear by May. "Fine, I'll go – let go of my ear first!" He pulled himself out of May's grasp and rubbed the bottom of his ear where May grabbed.

May smiled innocently. "Well in some of my favorite animes, the girls dragged the boys around by the ear if they do something stupid, and I always wanted to try it. I will cross it off my bucket list."

Brendan rolled his eyes as the skipping girl followed behind him toward the gym. Much like the other buildings in Rustboro, the gym was plainly decorated from the outside, made up of gray stone. The two clear glass doors swished open in front of them, revealing the dark, rocky terrain of the gym inside. Cold air brushed past them, making both trainers shiver.

"Well, welcome," May remarked, trying to break the awkward silence, "to Rustboro gym."

* * *

Still not one of my best chapters, but I'm not complaining. Maybe you will.

Writer's block. Go figure.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 04/09/09**


	7. Gym Battle

Gotta finish this chapter by four P.M. lol. I've never done it before. Well, yeah I have actually. Whatever.

Onto chapter ... something.

**Disclaimer****: **I don't own Pokémon. Short and sweet and to the point.

* * *

**Gym Battle**

**

* * *

**

"May?" Brendan asked, not crossing the threshold from the warm, outside world to the cold, rocky, kind of creepy world that was the rock-type gym. "... Do I really have to do this?"

May sighed, crossing her arms and staring at the whimpering boy standing next to her. "Stop being a baby," she muttered with an eye roll. "I mean, you don't _have_ to or anything, but I thought you wanted to complete in the League, so eventually you're going to have to. Might as well get it over with now instead of building up your nerves later. Besides," she poked Brendan in the arm, giggling, "I thought boy trainers were better than girl trainers."

"And they are," Brendan replied arrogantly, scowling.

"Oh, really?" May wasn't convinced. She put her hands behind her back and started to pace around Brendan, slowly circling around him and evaluating his stiff, quivering form. "Hmm, I don't see a gym badge anywhere on you. And yet ..." She stood in front of Brendan and gestured toward the strap of her fanny pack. "Yet I have one. And," she put a hand to her lips, her mouth forming an "o" shape, "look! I am of the female specimen."

"You're just going to rub that in my face until I get a badge, aren't you?" Brendan murmured with a sigh.

May nodded. "Well, not literally. I think you'd enjoy that." She winked as Brendan rolled his eyes again. Shaking her head, she walked into the gym, swinging her hips. "Come one, B Boy!"

Grumbling, Brendan shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and kicked at the dirt, trudging into the gym, his mudkip following after him. The glass doors swished behind him, making him shiver as the cold brushed against the bare nape of his neck. As he stepped further inside, he was glad to see that the rest of the gym was lit, barely, but still enough to not make him quiver. Golden light basked the rocky terrain of the battlefield, making the tall, pointy rocks on the field cast shadows.

Brendan hadn't really been inside an actual gym before. Well, he had, but not as a trainer, but a curious schoolboy on a field trip. He remembered that day well and how he eagerly pushed his way past his bigger schoolmates toward the front where the Rustboro gym leader was battling his opposing trainer. He remembered gripping the cold metal of the bar that separated the battlefield from the audience, his eyes wide. Well, now it was his turn. It was his turn to shine. It was his turn to get his first badge.

"You know," he said out loud more to himself than the wide eyed mudkip next to him, "the old Rustboro gym leader retired along with the Petalburg one. So I'm kind of curious about who took over ..."

Hesitantly, he stepped onto the rocky battlefield and entered the trainer box in front of him, a drawn on white square made out of chalk.

Brendan then looked down as his mudkip pawed at his leg. "So, now what?" the mudkip asked curiously, bright orange eyes blinking twice.

Brendan shrugged in reply, his eyes sweeping the field in front of him, eventually reaching the other trainer box. Empty. "I don't know. Are we suppose to ring a bell, or something? And where did May go?" His eyes traveled toward the left where a single metal bench was – a place where curious audience members could sit – yet no one was there.

Then, suddenly, a bright, white light from above shone on the confused trainer, making him shield his eyes with an open palm. Squinting, he looked forward again and could barely make out the black silhouette that made its way to the other trainer box. The new gym leader was curvy, yet pretty short, so Brendan assumed it was a girl, and a young one at that. As the lights dimmed down, or his eyes got adjusted to the brightness, the details of the gym leader became much more clearer. Long, brown hair trailed down toward the small of her back and tied back with a red ribbon. She wore a school uniform, gray yet short, though she hid her legs with red tights.

The white-haired trainer scratched his head as he looked at the girl gym leader who smirked, pulling out a pokéball from behind her back. This girl looked familiar ... but from where?

"Brendan Birch, huh?" said the girl gym leader, looking up from the pokéball grasped in her hand. Her brown eyes flashed dangerously in the light of the gym. "I remember you." She then laughed a bit, putting her hands on her hips. "Do you remember me?"

That laugh. That voice. It was all coming back to Brendan in a flood of suppressed memories that he desperately wanted to forget. There she was, in all her smug glory, taunting her with that cackly laugh of hers. It irritated him.

Now, this wouldn't be the first time Brendan encountered Roxanne. In fact, much to his dismay, he known her for quite some time. Roxanne never liked leaving Brendan alone back when the two went to pokémon trainer school together. Being four years older than him, she believed that gave her the right to pick on the poor boy constantly, shoving him in lockers, pulling down his pants, stealing the cupcakes from his lunch, and so on, constantly humiliating him and making him run home, teary eyed. And every time, after she was done bullying him, she would pat him on the head and coo in his face, calling him a "cute little boy."

Shaking his head as if it would rid him of the memories, Brendan grumbled, "Oh, yeah," in response, crossing his arms. "No one can forget you, Roxanne. You called me cute. No one calls me cute." He glared at the gym leader in front of him, his eyes narrowing. "No one."

A laugh to the side caught his attention, and he snapped his head to the left where May was sitting. She must have sat down when he was lost in his thoughts, thinking of all the horrible things Roxanne did to him back in school. "Oh, come on, Brendan." She snorted, wiping at her nose, a grin on her face. "You should take these compliments while you can. Like anyone else is ever going to call you cute again."

Brendan flushed in embarrassment a bit, but he shook his head, ignoring the girl trainer's comment. "Ignore her," he muttered, addressing Roxanne. "She's crazy. Let's get this battle started already!"

Roxanne merely nodded, throwing up the pokéball in her hand a few times while a judge, clad in a simple red sweater and black slacks, strolled over toward the side of the field to evaluate the battle. He began to explain the rules. "Both trainer will use two pokémon each. No time limit. The challenger can switch pokémon at anytime while the gym leader cannot." He looked at Roxanne first, and then Brendan, before nodding, moving his arms down in a sweeping motion to commence the battle. "Begin!"

"Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, let's play!" Roxanne cried out. "Geodude, let's do it!" She threw the pokéball in her hand, and the ball spiraled, hitting the ground hard. White light burst from the ball, revealing a geodude beating his buff, gray stone fists into each other before lifting his rugged, round body off the ground, his black eyes glowering coldly at Brendan.

Brendan was startled. The jump from horrific school memories to horrific gym battle was so fast, he didn't really have enough time to calm down and think. This was his first gym battle after all, and like hell was he going to lose, especially against that she-devil named Roxanne.

Yet he couldn't find back his nerves, beautiflies beating against his stomach. He touched a pokéball on his belt, his lips trembling. What to do, what to do ...

A tug at the bottom of his pants caught his attention, and the boy looked down, noticing his mudkip biting his pants and pulling at them. Spitting the cloth out of his mouth, he remarked, "Well, do something. Send a pokémon out." He slapped his tail against his small body, smiling smugly. "Like me, for example."

Brendan looked from his cocky mudkip to the pokéball his fingers were pressed against. He plucked said ball from his belt and enlarged it, holding it to his chin. "Let's try Sapphire first okay, Muddy?"

"Stop calling me that." Mudkip snorted and scowled, turning his head away. "Fine. But you do remember you just caught her, and uh, she can't use electric moves, right?"

"Exactly. Electric moves won't do me any good against rock types," Brendan replied back, reeling his arm back. "All right, Sapphire, let's do it!"

The boy trainer threw the ball in his hand toward the field. Like Roxanne's, the ball spiraled in a blur of red and white before hitting the ground, releasing Brendan's newly caught pokémon, a confused lanturn, her beacon dimly lit and crackling as her red eyes swept over the battlefield. She then wiggled a bit, trying to move, but only succeeded in rocking back and forth.

"Oh, and did I forget to mention that lanturns _can't really move outside of water?_" remarked the mudkip in a sarcastic tone, shaking his head.

Brendan rubbed the back of his neck nervously, picking up sweat. "We'll just have to do this fast. I mean, she has water moves, and from what I remember, water is good against rock. So ..." Pointing at the field, he ordered, "Sapphire, Water Gun!"

Sapphire coughed a bit, her body shaking as she opened her mouth, revealing a row of white teeth. Her eyes narrowed a bit in concentration, yet nothing came out. Again, Sapphire closed her mouth, shook a bit, and then opened her mouth, a thin stream of water beelining for the geodude. The rock type merely blinked as the small jet of water hit him in between the eyes. While the water irritated him, it wasn't strong enough to really damage him, let alone knock him out.

Roxanne clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Latias, this is going to be easy," she muttered to herself. "Let's make this even more annoying to them. Use Block!"

Geodude nodded and rolled over toward a few large boulders. Using his strong arms, he picked up a few of the boulders and hurled them toward Sapphire. Sapphire cringed, awaiting the rocks to hit her, but they never did, landing behind her instead. Brendan could barely see Sapphire over the towering boulders as much as he tried – he probably couldn't even return her mid-battle if he needed to.

"You should have sent out meee ..." remarked Mudkip in a sing song voice.

"Shut up," muttered Brendan. He then scratched his forehead, looking at Sapphire and then the smirking girl gym leader in front of him. "Why do you think her Water Gun was weak, Muddy?"

"Stop calling me that. And I don't know. Again, I'm not your pokédex. But ..." The mudkip's eyes went back and forth in his sockets. "Remember how Sapphire kind of shocked you when you fed her chocolate and I went on a ramble about maybe she can attack better if she knows she has someone behind her that cares for her?"

"... Wasn't that ramble about things allergic to chocolate not being happy because ... of something?"

"Well, yeah. But the underlying message was whatever I said earlier. Maybe you should feed her chocolate; show her you care still."

Brendan shrugged. "Worth a shot." He waved at the judge, catching his attention. "Am I allowed to use items?"

The judge looked at Roxanne, and she shrugged back in return. "Well, technically you can, but most trainers don't tend to use items when their pokémon hasn't gotten hurt yet."

"Oh, it's not a potion or anything like that." Brendan stepped over the white chalky line of his trainer box, swinging his bag around and unzipping the front pocket. He pulled out the same plastic bag from earlier, causing the judge, Roxanne and May to look at him, confused. Was that ... chocolate?

The white-haired trainer got on his knees and put a comforting hand on the quivering lanturn's body, bending over while rubbing her back soothingly. He put her head next to his while whispering something, his hands pulling out one of the brown chocolate balls from the plastic bag. He fed her one, and the lanturn chewed it happily, her beacon crackling in delight

Roxanne watched as the boy jumped back a bit, shocked by one of the lanturn's zaps of electricity, but he merely grinned, rubbing her back one more time before standing up, walking back to his trainer box. "Hmm ... Maybe there's something more than just an annoying brat after all," she said quietly to herself, an odd, new found respect for the young trainer.

"All right, Sapphire! Let's try this again!" Brendan cheered, pumping a fist in the air. "Water Gun!"

Sapphire nodded firmly, the beacon in front of her face covering her eyes as she inhale deeply, her cheeks puffing out. She exhaled a powerful jet of water so mighty that it sent her skidding back. The attack hit the geodude head on, making him skid back, water dripping down his body. He tried to protect himself by thrusting his arms in front of his face, but he ended up toppling over. He groaned, pushing himself up, gasping for breath.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" commanded Roxanne, gritting her teeth.

Brendan thought quickly, invigorated by the battle. "Supersonic, Sapphire!"

Geodude rolled over toward another pile of large rocks and heaved one above his head as Sapphire opened her mouth, a high-pitched squeal coming out of it. The sound waves engulfed the rock, and he cringed at the squeals, dropping the rock on his head and dazing him out. With swirls in his eyes, the geodude began to rock back and forth on his rugged body.

"Water Gun again, Sapphire!"

Sapphire blew up her cheeks again, exhaling a cold stream of water, sending the geodude flying backward into the wall behind Roxanne. He landed on the floor with a thump, his eyes clenched shut, sitting in a puddle of water.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" declared the judge, raising his right hand.

"Geodude, return!" Roxanne turned around and recalled her fallen pokémon inside his ball, whispering words of praise into it. "This battle needs more excitement." She switched balls behind her back. "Let's beat 'em, Nosepass!" She threw the ball toward the battlefield, and the ball split open, revealing a stout, oval-shaped boulder, his eyes closed and a huge, red nose smack in the middle of his face. He had stubby legs and arms and looked hardly able to move, let alone battle.

Brendan smirked, examining the opposing pokémon in front of him. "You would think that after how I mowed down your geodude, you wouldn't send someone that wasn't just plainly a rock."

Roxanne simply waved off Brendan's comment with a motion of her hand. "Don't be so sure," she remarked, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "Nosepass, Mud Slap attack!"

"What?" Brendan cried in shock, but it was too late. Nosepass cried out his name and dug his foot into the ground, flicking chunks of earth toward the wide eyes lanturn. She closed her eyes, skidding back a bit, the hard chunks of earth hitting all over body. She cried out in pain, mud caking itself on her rubbery body until the attack stopped, the lanturn on her side and wiggling about, trying to swing herself upright. The wiggling soon became slight twitching and then nothing.

"Lanturn is unable to battle!" announced the judge, raising his left hand this time.

"Sapphire, you did awesome!" said Brendan with a smile, returning his fallen lanturn into her ball. He then minimized her ball and looked at the other two pokémon he could use. "Well, Poochyena is pretty fast, but I don't think his attacks would do any good against something as hard and tough as that nosepass ... And, well, Mudkip doesn't have water moves."

A tug at his pants caught his attention again, and Brendan looked down, noticing an impatient glare on his starter's face. "What?" he muttered, shifting his foot to pull his pants out of the mudkip's mouth.

"Use meee," the mudkip whined. "I can do ittt."

"You don't have water movesss ..." replied the trainer in the same whiny, singsong tone. "You wouldn't be able to do anythinggg."

"Ahem," coughed the mudkip. "There's a reason why the word 'mud' is in my name."

Brendan slapped his forehead, an idea enlightening him. "That's right. Ground attacks are good against rock types. Well, okay then. Let's do it!" He pointed to the battlefield as the mudkip scurried onto the rocky terrain, standing a few feet away from the dull-eyed nosepass. He snarled, beating his tail against the ground, but the nosepass wasn't fazed mostly because the mudkip looked more cute than threatening.

"All right. Let's try Mud Slap!" ordered Brendan.

Mudkip cried his name as he turned around, waving his behind at closed eyes of the nosepass, kicking his hind legs into the air. He then put both his hind legs into the ground and kicked backward, sending upturned dirt and pebbles toward the nosepass. Dust and mud coated the nosepass, making him cringe, but he stood his ground.

"You can do it, Nosepass! Use Rock Throw!" Roxanne commanded.

Nosepass totted over toward a pile of rocks that were luckily stacked up near him, taking one up in his stubby arms. He squinted, his eyes watering because of the pebbles and dirt that embedded itself in them, and he could barely make out the blue form of the mudkip. He heaved the rock above his head and threw it at the mudkip, but the mudkip quickly stepped out of the way, dodging it. Again, the nosepass took another rock and threw it at the mudkip, but he missed again.

"I guess that last attack lowered his accuracy," Brendan muttered out loud, rubbing his chin. "Let's do it, Mudkip! Mud Slap again!"

Mudkip turned around and sprayed dirt across the pained nosepass. The nosepass toppled a bit but regained his balance, trying to rub at his watery eyes with his stubby arms.

Roxanne snarled a bit, clenching her fists. "Nosepass, Rock Throw again!"

"Hop on top of the rocks and tackle him down!" countered Brendan quickly.

As the nosepass slowly made his way toward a farther pile of rocks, Mudkip ran ahead, his body low to the ground. He jumped on the pile of stones way before the nosepass made it to the pile, and jumped down, flying at him, both of their hard heads conking together. Mudkip landed on all four feet as both pokémon stumbled around in a daze, the nosepass toppling over, his legs flailing about. The flailing soon stopped though, and the judge bent over a bit, noticing the x's in the nosepass' eyes.

"Roxanne's nosepass is unable to battle!" announced the judge. "The challenger wins!"

"Hmm ..." Roxanne returned her pokémon in a beam of red light and sighed a bit, putting her hands on her hips, watching as Brendan ran onto the battlefield and scooped up his mudkip in his arms, spinning him around. "He certainly has grown up from that puny eight year old boy I used to know."

Shaking her head, Roxanne fished inside her pocket while walking onto the battlefield where the boy trainer and his pokémon were celebrating. "I'm sorry to interrupt your cheer fest, but I believe this is yours," she said, making the boy stop spinning to look at her. She extended her arm, Brendan doing the same, and she dropped the stone badge in his open hand, the gold tint of the rectangular badge reflecting in the light of the gym.

Brendan held up the gym badge in awe, seeing his wide eyes in the badge's reflections. "Wow ..." he said in awe. "My first badge ..." He then began to dance in place as the mudkip in his arms shouted in delight as well. "This just kicks ... butt!"

Roxanne laughed a bit, putting her hands on her hips. "It was nice to see you again, Brendan Birch. You're going to make a fine pokémon trainer. And don't forget," at this, Roxanne reached out and ruffled Brendan's hair much to his dismay, "you'll always be a cute little boy to me."

Brendan swatted at her arm but missed as Roxanne turned around and walked away, laughing to herself. Sighing to himself, he spun around and walked toward the exit, the golden sunlight that flooded through the glass doors comforting. The doors swished open, the warm wind engulfing him in welcome, and the boy looked back and forth, wondering what to do next. He then turned around, peering into the dark gym. Empty.

"Ugh, did May ditch me –" Something jumped on his back at that moment, wrapping its arms around him, making the poor boy freak out. He let out a loud yelp and dropped the mudkip in his arms, turning his head left and right to try to look at the perpetrator on his back. "Ah – May! What the?"

May still clung on his back like a monkey, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she swung her legs back and forth. "Surprise?" she said sheepishly, smiling innocently as Brendan stared at her, bewildered. She pressed the tip of her nose against the nape of his neck, making him shudder a bit. "Hmm ... You smell kind of nice."

He flushed a bit at the compliment but quickly responded with a sharp, "Whatever." Brendan pulled the girl off him, making her stand on her own two feet. "Well, now what?"

May looked up and around, gazing at the buildings that towered over them. "Well, why not explore Rustboro for a bit since we're here? We're in no rush." She then watched as a man dressed in red and black that bumped into Brendan earlier ran down the street, a businessman dressed in a gray suit, his thin, brown hair wild, chasing after him.

"Hey! Stop! Help! Thief!" the man in the business suit cried, waving his arms in the air. "Someone stop him!"

"That was the guy that I helped ... and the guy that I battled," May observed, gazing into the distance where the two ran. "Hmm ... I think he stole something again."

"No, really?" Brendan replied sarcastically. "The clue 'thief' sure didn't help me figure that out. Come on. Let's go after them!" He began to chase after the two, his clothes flapping behind him in the wind, his mudkip on his heels.

May simply sighed, not bothering to follow, and walked toward a steel railing, leaning against it, her gloved hands wrapping around the cold metal. "I hope that boy knows what he's doing."

* * *

That chapter seemed hard to write lol. Oh well.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 04/11/09**


	8. Pokemon Navigators!

**Disclaimer**: I write it, but I don't own it sadly, but it's okay 'cause ... it's okay? (ehh, another lame disclaimer).

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**Pokémon Navigators**

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"... What happened to you?"

May managed to stifle her laughter by pressing her two of her fingers against her pursed lips as the boy trainer trudged his way toward her, his clothes covered in mud. A triumphant mudkip skipped next to him, looking up happily at his disgruntled trainer.

"I fell ... in the mud," he muttered, his eyes shifting to the side. He ran his hand down his clothes, his gloved palms smudging the wet earth onto his hands. "Either way, I lost track of both of them, so I came back. Do you know about Rusturf Tunnel?" He watched as May shook her head. "Right. Well, there was a rock slide just recently in there, so the tunnel is closed to the public as they mine through it by hand. The machines, apparently, are too loud for the pokémon inside there. Anyway," he motioned his head toward the pokémon center, "let me go heal Mudkip and Sapphire real quick."

"Sapphire, huh? Where did you find her? I think I've seen a few in the Johto region," remarked May as the duo made their way toward the bustling Rustboro pokémon center. She stepped on the mat, and the glass doors of the center swung forward, allowing them to enter.

Brendan returned his mudkip inside his ball, making his way toward the counter. "Some dude abandoned his pokémon in the lake, so I ... let's say, 'adopted' her."

"But why? Lanturns aren't that weak, are they? Well, not unless she's young, or something." She smiled as the local Nurse Joy approached the counter, taking Brendan's pokéballs off his hands. Tugging lightly on Brendan's sleeve, she pointed toward a booth near a window, walking over toward it.

"Do you remember how she really couldn't attack? I think that might have to do with why the guy left her in the lake. He couldn't be bothered to train her, even though she seems to be responsive whenever I show her some sort of affection." Brendan slid in the seat opposite of May, his bottom sinking into the cushion. Taking off his backpack and placing it next to him, he looked at the window, his eyes brimming with an odd mixture of anger and sadness. "It makes me wonder how much crap this lanturn took if even a small gesture makes her flip for joy. From the looks of it, she seems pretty trusting too if anyone does something small for her. She must have believed anything that other trainer said if he did even one nice thing for her. It ... I don't even know what to say. I know I have a lot of work to do with her."

May didn't reply, shifting awkwardly in her seat as Brendan drummed his fingers on the table, staring wistfully outside the window, watching the hustling passerby. "So," she began, trying to break the tension and to ease Brendan up. She smiled slightly as Brendan turned his head toward hers. "I didn't know you went to trainer school. Then again, I don't know much about you. Maybe we should, you know, get to know some things about each other."

"I suppose." Brendan leaned back in his seat, resting his hands on the smooth table in front of him. "Yeah, I went to trainer school – the one here in fact. I went here from age seven to ten before my dad decided that I would be better off out in the field then sitting behind a desk. If you hadn't already learned, my dad wasn't much one for paperwork, so he dragged me along on his trips. You said you found my dad being chased by a poochyena, right?"

May nodded.

"Yeah, that wouldn't be the first time." A small smile tugged at the boy's lips. "What about you? Did you go to trainer school from ... Johto, was it?"

May shook her head, pulling out a small water bottle from her fanny pack. She took a sip of it before answering. "No, home schooled. We were always traveling because of my dad's job, but he taught me the basics, and I learned from the books. It also pays to meet all those gym leaders. I learned a lot."

"Yeah, I bet. All I got to meet were boring old professors," Brendan grumbled crossing his arms. "Don't get me wrong; I learned a lot from them, though it would have been nice to meet some trainers that were still, you know, battling instead of hearing stories about it. Either way ..." He trailed off as a nurse chansey bounded for them, skipping back and forth, the pokéballs on the metal tray she was clutching rattling about. She stopped in front of Brendan's and May's table, offering the balls to Brendan while cheerily stating her name.

"Thanks," said Brendan with a smile as he took his pokéballs and clipped them back onto his belt. Swiping at May's water bottle on the table before she could react, Brendan popped open the top and drank from it, much to her dismay. He pulled his backpack back on, sliding out of the booth. "Ready to go?"

May stared at the water bottle on the table, disgust across her face. Picking it up and wiping the spout with the bottom of her shirt, May stood up as well, putting her water bottle back in its proper place. "Yeah, I guess." She followed Brendan toward the exit, the glass doors swishing open for them. Bright sunlight engulfed them snugly. Using a flat palm to shield her eyes from the sun, she asked, "Well ... Now what?"

"Um ..." Brendan dug around his backpack, his eyes narrowing a bit. "I guess we need to ... um ... Find a –" he tugged at something in his backpack, his nose wrinkling, " – way to ... ugh!" He successfully pulled out a hardcover book from his bag, holding it up high in his hand. "Stupid book," he muttered, putting his backpack strap over his shoulder. "It would be so much easier to have a pokémon navigator ..."

"A poké what?" asked May curiously, peering over Brendan's shoulder as he flipped through the pages of his book. The pages were decorated with maps, so May assumed it was an atlas of the Hoenn region.

"A pokémon navigator," Brendan repeated. "It's really cool. It's like a digital atlas since it can bring up maps and whatnot but it can do other things, too, like calling. It's really handy." He flipped through the book, his thumb brushing against the pages in a pleasant fanning noise, stopping on a page that that held a bird eyes view of the entire Hoenn region.

"Oh, you mean like one of these?" May turned her fanny pack around a bit, opening it up. She pulled out a black device, long but thin, its green screen reflecting the wrong time.

Brendan tore his eyes away from his book to look at the blocky device in May's hand. "Er ... what is it?"

"A pokégear!" she exclaimed as it if were obvious. "Hoenn doesn't have these here?"

Brendan shook his head, tapping a finger against the screen in wonder.

"Well, they're like those pokémon navigators you were talking about, though I got it in Johto. My dad tried to bribe me with it so I would start traveling." She rolled her eyes. "I only used it for the time and to call people, though." She hit a button on the side, the screen lighting up. She then flipped through the options, picking the one titled "maps". No service. "Hmm ... Guess it only works in Johto." She shoved it back inside her bag. "So why don't we get one of these pokémon navigators?"

"Well, they're not exactly cheap." Brendan turned his attention back to his book, his pointer finger pointing as Rustboro. He traced an invisible route from Rustboro to another city. "They're useful, but not necessary. I don't know. Maybe we can both pitch in and get one once we get more money, but until then, this book and the pay phone will have to do."

May pulled the book closer to her as she stood next to Brendan. "So where to, B Boy?"

"I'm ... not sure," he admitted. "With Rusturf tunnel closed off, the only way to get to the other side of Hoenn is by boat." He pointed at the sea route that stopped at a smaller island called Dewford, following the path until his finger stopped back at the main island where a city of Slateport resided. "We can either wait for Rusturf tunnel to clear – which could be awhile I might add – or we can find some captain that can ship us to Dewford or Slateport. Dewford has a gym there, so stopping there wouldn't be entirely useless."

"Right. Well, let's try to find a captain first, and if there is none, we'll wait, I guess." May looked across the city landscape and noticed the strange man she helped in the forest, bent over a bit as he read a bulletin board colorfully decorated with fliers. She watched as he ran a nervous hand through his thick, brown, short hair before adjusting the collar of his gray business suit. "Hey, it's the guy again. Maybe we should go talk to him again."

Shrugging, Brendan put his book back in his bag before following May toward the strange man.

The two trainers quietly crept up on the man who hadn't noticed them yet. Tentatively, May raised her hand and tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump up a bit. "Um, I don't mean to interrupt your ... um, sign gazing, but are you okay?" May asked politely, a little bewildered.

The man turned his head around sharply, startling the two trainers again. "Oh, May." He smiled a bit, though the worry was still apparent in his blue eyes. "I've been ... better." He looked at Brendan. "And who's this?"

"This is my ... companion," May answered.

"Brendan," Brendan added, holding out his hand to shake the man's hand. "So ... I heard that something was stolen from you or something? We saw you running after some guy earlier."

The man nodded. "He stole this package from where I work – the Devon Corporation, by the way – that was suppose to be delivered to Slateport's shipyard." He began to pace back and forth nervously, biting at his fingernails. "Without those parts, Captain Stern won't be able to go on his underwater exploration. Or worst!" His eyes widened. "I could get _fired!_ I know you've helped me earlier, May, and I don't want to bother you again but ... could you ... can you –" He dropped to his knees and begged, clasping his hand over May's, his head bowed down. "Please! Help me!"

"I hate seeing guys beg," May muttered to Brendan, pulling her hands away in digust as the man started kissing them.

"Okay, okay. We were going to help you in the first place even if you didn't beg," Brendan muttered, rubbing the back of his head as the man stood back up. "Who is this guy anyway?"

"Oh, some grunt from Team Magma," answered the man.

"Team Magma?" asked May curiously, noticing Brendan's bewildered stare. "Who are they?"

"They're um ... an organization, I suppose," replied Brendan. "They've been working on expanding the land mass for more habitat and homes using pokémon. I've never heard of them stealing things, though. Anyway, which way did he go?"

Brushing the dirt off his pants, the man motioned his head to the left. "Down that way," he answered. "Since Rusturf Tunnel is closed, he really has direction to go, so I've been hanging out around here just in case. That Team Magma grunt somehow managed to slip inside the cave past the guard, and when I tried to go in as well, the guard stopped me." He sighed. "Maybe you'll have better luck."

The girl trainer nodded in response, understanding completely. "Okay. Wish us luck!" May smiled as she and Brendan exited the city, the hard pavement turning into rough, itchy grass. They soon spotted the tunnel next to an old, one-story house, probably for travelers or the people digging at the tunnel to rest at.

"That's Rusturf Tunnel," Brendan pointed out as the mouth of the cave became more detailed as the two got closer.

"Thanks for stating the obvious. I sure didn't know that." May rolled her eyes. She looked around, noticing no guard. "Hmm ... that guard that guy was talking about isn't here. Must be on break.

"Yeah. Let's go inside before he comes back out."

They entered the dark and dusky tunnel. Water dripped from the sides, making the tunnel smell like wet earth. The twitter of the wild zubat echoed through the long passage. Brendan turned on a flashlight and followed along the straight path. "I remember seeing on the news that tunnelers had to dig this by hand because the machines were disturbing the whismur that live here, but then they reached a rocky pass, so they can't dig through it by hand," Brendan remarked, flicking his flashlight left to right.

"Well, that was a mouthful," May replied, following Brendan while searching for her own flashlight in her fanny pack.

Brendan ignored May's comment and continued to speak. "So that guy has to be in here."

"Thanks for stating the obvious again," May replied sarcastically, giving up her own search for a flashlight. "It's nice to know someone's paying attention."

"No problem," Brendan said, oblivious to the fact that May was joking.

May raised an eyebrow and sighed as the two continued their tread down the narrow path. The girl ran her hand down the cave walls, her white gloves picking up the brown dirt. With a look of disdain, she wiped her hands on the sleeve of the boy, smiling innocently as Brendan turned his head and glared at her. So silent, so peaceful, until a loud chirp echoed through the cave, causing the girl to jump up a bit.

"What was that?" she asked worriedly, moving closer to Brendan, shivering. She clung onto Brendan's arm.

"Uh, a pokémon I think. Don't be stupid." Brendan blushed a little and thanked the legendary pokémon again that it was dark. He shifted his arm, shaking the girl off. "Let go."

May huffed. "Well _sorry_." Looking straight forward, May noticed the silhouette of a man next to another, smaller silhouette hovering midair. As they got closer, she noticed the white and blue plumage of the smaller creature with sharp beak and three-toed claws. "A ... wingull?" she murmured, remembering the battle she just had with the trainers earlier.

"Odd," Brendan said, tentatively approaching the man as May stepped behind him, clinging onto his arm again. He rolled his eyes but let the girl stay there. "Those aren't found in caves.

"Stay here, you dumb pokémon!" someone screeched harshly.

"Eek!" May screeched, clutching onto Brendan's arm like a vise.

"Ow my arm! Ow my arm!" Brendan complained trying to pull off May's hand from his arm but failed.

May's shriek and Brendan's shout caught the attention of the man up ahead. "Who's there?" the mysterious man bellowed back, stepping forth into Brendan and May's line of sight. Dark red and black clothing and a hood. It was no other than the Team Magma grunt. "Oh, it's you again." He rolled his eyes, noticing the girl clenching onto Brendan's arm. "I thought I lost you back in the woods."

"You were wrong," May replied meekly, hiding a bit behind Brendan's taller form.

Shifting his eyes to the side for moment, Brendan turned his attention toward the smirking Team Magma grunt. "Okay, pal, you stole something that doesn't belong to you, and we want it back!"

The Magma grunt pulled out a small package from his pocket and threw it up in the air, catching it soon after. "Well, you want this package –" he waved the package before their eyes, the brown paper crinkling between his fingers, "– then come and get it!" He stepped back to the line of rock that blocked the path, his free hand grabbing the single pokeball clipped around his waist.

Brendan merely snorted, pointing his nose up haughtily. "Fine. Let's play the hard way then." With a small smirk, the boy enlarged one of his pokéballs. "Go, Poochyena! Start things off with a Tackle attack!" He threw the ball toward the dirt ground, and the ball burst open in a blast of white light, revealing the small frame of Brendan's newly caught pokémon, his red eyes shining even with the dim lighting. He lowered his head and pawed at the ground, blowing air out of his nostrils.

"Poochyena, you come out and use your tackle as well!" the Magma grunt shouted in retaliation, releasing his pokémon in a beam of red light. From his ball, a pokémon nearly identical to Brendan's own poochyena came out, lowering his body to the ground, his legs ready to pounce if necessary. The Magma grunt's poochyena sprinted toward Brendan's, his head lowered, but he missed as Brendan's poochyena quickly dodged it. The two then circled, snarling and snapping their jaws.

The girl trainer looked back and forth between the two pokémon, scratching her head. "They look exactly alike. How can you tell which one is which?"

"Don't worry. I got this," Brendan assured her.

"Poochyena – whoever you are – use your Bite attack!" the grunt commanded.

The poochyena closer to Brendan bit the other poochyena's mid-back, his sharp teeth digging into his fur. The poochyena that was bitten yelped a bit before shaking about wildly, making the other poochyena let go. Whining a bit in pain, Brendan's poochyena snarled at the grunt's poochyena.

"Use Howl and then Tackle!" Brendan ordered.

Brendan's poochyena howled as if there were a full moon in the small, cramped cavern, the mighty roar lifting up the pride in the young hyena. He sprinted toward the other poochyena, his head lowered, his feet trampling across the dirt, and the two collided at the head in a loud thud. The Team Magma's grunt went flying, crashing into his trainer.

"Humph! You were lucky this time, punk, but you'll never beat the entire Team Magma!" the Magma member huffed as he threw the package at Brendan who caught it with ease. He pointed at the chirping wingull behind him, flapping its wings slowly to stay in the air. "And you can take that wingull. It's worthless to me!" He ran out of the tunnel, pushing May down in the process.

"Ow! Didn't your mom teach you any manners?" May cried, standing up and rubbing her back. "One thing's for sure – he pushes hard."

Brendan laughed a little, returning his poochyena. "Well, we got the package ... and a wingull apparently."

"I wonder who's it is?" May asked curiously, walking over to the wingull slowly her fingers outstretched as if to touch it. The wingull let out another loud chirp and flew at May, resting on her bare arm. She scratched the bird pokémon's head with a finger, and the wingull chirped cheerfully, ruffling his white and blue feathers and clicking his sharp, yellow beak.

Then a voice echoed throughout the cave from behind the duo. "Peeko!" someone shouted. "I'm glad you're okay!"

From the entrance of the tunnel came an old man, running fast for his age. He was completely bald, though he had a thick, white mustache and beard. His red shirt and jeans flapped behind him as he sprinted toward this "Peeko." The wingull hopped off of May's arm and flew toward the open arms of the old man, cuddling into his chest while cooing softly.

"I'm guessing that the wingull belongs to him," May muttered, looking curiously at the man. Walking over to the old man, she asked, "Hi! Who are you?"

The old man placed the bird on his shoulder, scratching him on his head. "I'm sorry, mates," the old man apologized. "My name is Mr. Briney, and this wingull is Peeko! Say hello, Peeko!" He lightly raised his shoulder to get the wingull's attention.

"Wingull!" Peeko chirped merrily, flying around the entire group before talking his place on his master's shoulder.

The old man bowed in thanks. "Thank you for saving my little Peeko. I am entirely in your debt. If you need anything, my house is at the entrance of Petalburg Forest! Good bye!" Mr. Briney walked out of the tunnel, Peeko chirping all the way.

"That was ... odd," Brendan murmured to himself, looking at the wrapped package in his arms. He played with the string the was wrapped around it. "But let's go return this package to the Devon Dude before he has another panic attack."

May giggled. "Tell me about it!"

"Hey, Mr. ... uh, Devon Dude!" Brendan shouted from far away as the two emerged into the city toward the bulletin board where the strange man was still standing at. Brendan waved the package in the air, gripping it tight. "We got your package back from that grunt again!"

The Devon Guy ran toward them, his arms flailing about in the air, bewildering the two rookies. "Oh, thank you," he breathed out, reaching for May's hand and kissing it. "Thank you very much!" He released May's hand and went to kiss Brendan's hand, but Brendan pulled his quickly away.

"Uh, you're welcome?" Brendan replied hesitantly, glancing over at May to see her wipe her hand on her shorts. "It was easy –"

"Yeah, you should of seen him, Devon Guy!" May remarked, interrupting her companion. "Brendan fainted that Team Magma grunt's pokémon in one hit practically! K-O, baby!" She threw her fist into the air in excitement.

Brendan blushed a little bit as he gave the package back to its rightful owner. "Uh, right. But like I said, no problem."

"You never said that."

"Whatever."

The Devon Man gently placed the package back in his leather suitcase before gripping the handle of it tightly. "If you two don't mind, can you come with me?" the Devon Man asked, gesturing toward a towering building up ahead, its windows shining in the dazzling sunlight. "I want you to meet my boss for all the hard work you two did for me today! He's in charge of the Devon Corporation!"

Brendan and May looked at each other, confused. "Er, why?" Brendan asked.

"You'll see ..." the Devon Dude remarked with a smug look on his face. "You'll see." He began to walk toward the huge building, swinging his suitcase back and forth.

Brendan and May shot each other nervous looks before scurrying to follow the Devon Guy.

The Devon Guy led the two trainers up towards the top floor of the towering building. Rare rocks and sculptures were enclosed in glass cases, and large black leather couches were lined up against the walls complete with embroidered pillows, stiff but artful.

"Go ahead and sit down. I need a word with the president for a moment." Devon Guy pointed toward one of the couches near the door.

Obeying, Brendan and May sat down on the leather couch, the couch groaning in protest. May did her best to peer around the open door where the Devon Guy went but only found herself to be pushed up straight by the annoyed boy trainer next to her. A tad annoyed, May turned her attention toward the windows that went from the floor to the ceiling, revealing the twilight sky ahead. Tinges of sunlight were grasping at the dark, but the darkness prevailed, slowly pushing down the cheery daylightaway and replacing it with a calmer, more peaceful night.

"What do you think he wants with us?" May asked, whispering to Brendan. "Does he want to reward us or something?"

"Maybe," Brendan replied. "We did save something important ... I think."

Devon Guy popped his head around the corner of the door. "Okay, you two. The president will see you now," he announced before heading back inside.

The two got up and slowly walked over to the president of the pokémon merchandise industry, their feet sinking into the elaborate, plushy rug that carpeted the floor in front of the mahogany desk. With sheepish smiles on both their faces, Brendan stared into the eyes of the old president wearily while May turned her head to the side, playing with a strand of loose brown hair nervously.

The president looked back and forth between the two, running a hand down his finely trimmed peppered beard. "No need to be nervous now," he remarked with a hearty laugh. "I only asked you here to reward you for your fine efforts. Thank you for saving my package not only once but twice! Impressive for young, rookie trainers."

The trainers sighed in relief, grinning a real, genuine smile.

"I want to give you two these." The president opened a drawer and took out two small strange devices, similar looking to the pokégear May showed Brendan earlier. They were oval-shaped and had a few buttons on the bottom, a clear cover protecting the screen. "Now, I'm sure you know what these are –" the president explained.

"Pokénavs," replied Brendan and May at the same time.

"Right." The old president smiled. "Like the old pokégear, it shows you the map, has a built in video phone, and something I like to call the Trainer's Eye, an option that lets you see other trainers that you have battled before, along with their profiles. It's quite neat really." He put the red and black one in his left hand while leaving the red and white one in his right. "Now here, take them. I have a dozen of these things lying around, and I'd be more than happy to give them to such deserving trainers."

May was more than eager to grab hold of the device, but Brendan lightly pushed her hand away, much to her dismay. "Thank you for the offer, sir, but I know that these things aren't exactly cheap to make – at least according to my dad. I'm not sure if we can just ... take them like that."

"Nonsense, young man!" remarked the president in a startled voice. "Don't be so modest."

"Yeah, young man. Stop being so modest," repeated May, grabbing hold of the red and white pokénav and eagerly flipping over the cover, playing with the device. "Thank you so much, sir!"

Rolling his eyes, Brendan hesitantly grabbed hold of the black and red pokénav in the president's hand. He shifted it back and forth, its shiny screen reflecting in the light of the building. With a small smile tugging at his face, he hooked the device to a belt loop in his pants, admiring its small, neat design. "Thanks ..." he replied quietly.

"Now," began the president, leaning back in his armchair, making it creak, "where are you two headed? The next gym, I suppose?"

May nodded, giving her pokénav one final look before hooking it onto the strap of her fanny pack. "Yeah, but we're not exactly sure how to get there – or where the next gym is. Rusturf Tunnel is blocked, and we hear there's a gym on Dewford, but we aren't exactly sure how to get there ..."

"There should be plenty of seamen willing to ship you to Dewford if that's the case. Hoenn was always a friendly, little island," suggested the president. He beckoned Devon Dude over with a motion of his hand. Immediately, the man flipped open his suitcase on the desk, unlatching it. He handed the small, brown package that Brendan and May saved earlier to the president who then outstretched toward the duo. "If you find a way there, can you take the other water route to Slateport City to deliver this package to Captain Stern – he's an odd fellow, so he won't be that hard to find if you ask around. I don't want it to land in the wrong hands again ... again." He gave a stern look toward his employee, who immediately jumped up a bit at the glance.

May laughed. "Sure, we'll be glad to help." She took the package back and placed it carefully in her bag.

"And I'd hate to be bombarding you with all these favors, but since you're heading toward Dewford for your next gym badge anyway, can you send this letter to my grandson, Steven Stone?" the President asked, handing Brendan a letter.

"Uh ..." Brendan shrugged and took the letter in his hands, careful not to bend it as he placed it inside his backpack. "I guess. What does he look like?"

"Oh, silver hair, striking blue eyes ... Looks exactly like me." The old president chuckled a bit, readjusting his collar. Brendan and May only smiled innocently, not commenting on the old president's hair, or lack thereof really, or the bags underneath his gray eyes. "Dewford is a pretty small island, and my grandson always took some time to get to know some of the locals. So I'm sure if you ask around, you'll find him."

"We'll find him." Brendan smiled a bit, turning his head toward the window. The sun had already set during their conversation, revealing the dark night. "Well, I think we better go before it gets too dark and all the rooms at the center are taken." He tugged at May's sleeve. "Thank you, again, for the pokénavs."

"Yeah. I'll be sure to use mine a lot!" May said with a giggle. "Thanks again!"

"Anytime, you two," replied the president with another chuckle. "Good bye, and good luck!"

"I knew we should have gotten out of there earlier," muttered Brendan as he stomped out of the Devon Corporation building. He kicked a nearby pebble and watched as it scattered across the pavement, hitting the side of a trashcan with a loud bang. "Now we can't get anywhere."

"Like it matters? We don't have a way to get to Dewford," May replied, sighing. "Let's go to the pokémon center to book a room, okay? We'll figure out a plan tonight or tomorrow, or something."

"All right," Brendan agreed, downfallen as the two ran toward the center, pushing past a pair of squabbling trainers.

Brendan was never sure why trainers retired early from training. He supposed it was so they could regain strength and wake up earlier, but either way it annoyed him. It always ended up with him having to sleep on the couch in the lounge or in some cramped room. Luckily for the duo, though, they managed to get one of the last rooms.

Unfortunately it was cramped.

"Isn't it kind of ... small?" May asked, turning around to face Nurse Joy. The room had two beds two or three feet away from each other and there was no room for a table or a dresser. There was a small window opposite of the door with dirty red curtains draped in front of it.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only room left," Nurse Joy apologized. "But the good thing is your near the kitchens!"

"I guess," Brendan replied. "How hungry I get in the middle of the night–" Nurse Joy smiled and left the room at this comment, "–too bad I can't get out of the dumb door!" he finished angrily.

"Pissy fit, Brendan?" May asked innocently. "I never knew boys got them. Then again, are you a boy? Hmm ..."

"Shut up."

"Well, at least we get a bed and not the hard, cold floor for today," May said optimistically. "It's better than nothing!"

"Sure, May. Whatever you say," Brendan replied. "Since the beds are kind of close, you won't hit me the next morning for being in your personal space, right?"

"I won't. Don't worry," May answered as she got into bed and faced the opposite way that Brendan's bed was. But before she fell asleep she stated, "But I'll probably forget what I said by morning."

Brendan sighed and tried to get as far away from May as possible before getting into bed and closing his eyes.

**Last Revision: 6/25/09  
**


	9. The Phone Call Problem

I'm bored. Are you bored? (_looks at Mudkip for a comeback)_

Mudkip: (_looks around)_ What? I don't have a smart arse response for everything!

Flare: He's just holding back..

Mudkip: I'm not holding back. I'm holding in!

Flare: That doesn't even make sense, you mud fish, mud cat, mud muddy thing. What are you?

Mudkip: Well, your trainer is ... weird. Yeah! Weird!

Flare: That doesn't even follow what the heck we were talking about! And at least I have a nickname!

Mudkip: Don't blame Brendan for that! Its the author's fault for not being creative enough!

Flare: Nuh uh! Besides your trainer like likes May, so ha! You're stuck with me!

_(Brendan walks in)_

Brendan: I don't like May! Stop telling people that!

Flare: Oh, c'mon! You know you do!

Mudkip: Yeah! Afraid of commitment, widdle Brendy-poo?

Brendan: Wally can have her!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon.

This chapter contains more of the Wally/May/Brendan triangle thing 'cause if I don't do a scene with Brendan getting jealous of Wally soon, I think I'm going to explode! Lol.

* * *

**The Phone Call Problem**

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**

"What the hell! Too close again, Brendan!" May screamed, thrusting her blankets aside toward the floor and taking two large steps toward the bewildered Brendan who woke up in a daze. If he was sleepy before, he sure wasn't now, for the girl immediately slapped him across the face. Before he could react, the crazy girl then took her pillows and shoved them into Brendan's face to try and suffocate him.

"Ay!" Brendan cried as he sat up, still stifled by the pillows. He grabbed the pillow and pulled it out of May's hand, throwing it aside, glaring back at the girl. "Are you crazy?"

"In the personal zone again, Birch!" May screeched, sitting on her bed stubbornly and crossing her arms. "Never get into my personal zone."

From the loud screeches from the girl and the annoyed yelps from the boy, the two pokemon that rested on the foot of either bed groggily looked at each other before looking at their trainers. From behind the dark, dusty curtains, the morning sun peeped its way through the cracks, sprinkling the dirty floor in stray rays of sunlight, making the swirling dust most apparent.

"You said that yesterday. I think." Brendan yawned, using his own pillow to fling at May who caught it. He rolled onto his back, wrinkling the sheets underneath him. He placed his hands behind his head, resting comfortably while staring at the peeling ceiling. "And you said that you wouldn't hit me this morning."

"I said I might forget," May said, throwing Brendan his pillow again as she went to fix her bed. She lifted the weary body of her torchic and placed her on Brendan's bed as she straighted out the clean, white linen sheets. "Of course it's weird that I don't forget about me saying that I'll probably forget what I said last night. Wait ... what?" Shaking her head, she walked a bit to grab hold of her pillow that Brendan flew to the side and fluffed it before placing it at the head of her bed.

Brendan slapped his head. "Girls ... Can't live with them."

"And you can't live without them, right?"

"No, just cant live with them."

"Meanie."

"I suppose." Brendan rolled over toward the side and looked at the floor where he neatly piled his black and red sweater, shoes and backpack. He grabbed his pokenav off the top of the pile and looked at the time. "Nine already? We better get out of here so we can find a way to Dewford," he muttered, standing up and stretching his arms before fixing his own bed, shaking the two pokemon out of their slumber. He then bent down a bit and grabbed hold of his sweater, putting it back on.

"Can't we do that later?" May whined. "I want to catch some more pokémon before we leave. Who's knows if the next gym is super effective against fire or flying types."

The boy trainer popped his head through the hole of his sweater and sighed. "Fine. Meet me back here at ten or so. An hour should be enough time for you to fail," Brendan agreed, ignoring the cold glower from the girl trainer. "If you need me, I'll be at the tunnel to see if there is any way to get around it or something." He slipped on his shoes and clipped his pokenav back onto his belt, tugging lightly at the waist of his black pants to adjust them.

"Okay, but I think it's a waste of time," May replied, fixing her bandanna and putting her bag around her waist. She picked up the tired Flare from Brendan's bed and cradled her in her arms. "Whatever floats your boat, though."

"Hmm ... boat," Brendan thought out loud. "That's it! If you're going back to the Petalburg Woods entrance near the coast, look for someone who has a boat, okay? Then come and get me or call me if you find anything."

"Well, okay then," May replied, opening the door. "See you later!" She paused before adding a motherly tone to her next sentence. "And don't forget to change your you-know-whats!"

Brendan stared dully at her. "Thanks for the advice, May."

"Anytime, Brendan!" May grinned before heading out of the center.

* * *

Annoying was the first thing that came to mind as the loud beeps from May's pokenav rung shrilly throughout the pathway. Electronics were so complicated ... Cool, of course, but annoyingly complicated. Dammit. All she wanted to do was adjust the time, but nooo ... All these buttons and screens and knobs ... Everything was so confusing.

"Turn it off, May!" chirped the torchip hopping next to her. She glared up at her trainer.

"I'm trying!" May replied hastily through clenched teeth, pressing all the little buttons on the strange device. Giving up in defeat, she whacked it on a nearby tree. The pokenav let out a high pitched beep, as if screaming, before crackling a bit, the screen its light a bit before turning off.

"Finally! It's quiet." May sighed in relief, looking at the device that lay in the palm of her gloved hand. "But I was so used to it, so now it's too quiet–"

A loud beeping resounded once more, echoing throughout the quaint forest.

"Ack! I thought you turned that off!" Flare growled, shaking her head, the high squeaks annoying to her sensitive hearing.

May looked at my pokénav that was still clutched in her hand. Apparently it wasn't the thing beeping since it somehow turned off when she banged it on the tree. Unlike before, though, the beeps were muffled, like it was pressed again cloth.

"Oh! That's my pokégear!" May exclaimed, searching through her bag, her hand brushing past pokeballs and potions – never in her dreams would she have imagined ever having those sort of items in her bag. "Dad tried to bribe me with one of these back when he tried to make me travel the Johto region." Rolling her eyes as her mind reveled in all her dad's failed attempts of getting her to travel, she rummaged through her bag frantically, the beeping getting on her nerves. "Oh, here it is!" She pulled out a blue and yellow pokégear. May pressed the button that stopped the beeping, and the screen lit up, a digital envelope taking over the screen.

"One new video-phone message," the pokégear muttered in a monotonous voice. "One new video-phone message. One new video-phone message. One new video-phone–"

"All right! I heard you!" May snapped, pushing the button that opened the video message. The screen blanked for a moment, and soon a pokémon trainer's face appeared behind a loading screen. Green hair, green eyes, kind of nervous looking ... Oh, so familiar ...

The torchic pecked at May's open calve, and May looked down, answering the inquiring question in her pokemon's eyes. "It's a message from Wally," she answered for her. "Though I'm not sure how he got my pokegear number. I thought pokegears were native only in Johto." As she waited for the message to load, she began to wonder how the twitchy, nervous boy she met a few days ago got her phone number. May sure didn't give it to him. She did give her pokégear number to Brendan yesterday when they were bored in the pokémon center just in case they got lost from each other and her pokénav was dead, but she doubted that he gave it to Wally.

The girl blinked as the screen flashed before her eyes. "Hey, May!" Wally on the screen said happily, waving his hands like a hitmonchan who lost control of his arms. "I finally made it to Verdanturf Town! It's really cool, and what's the word? Springy? Fresh? I don't know, but you have to check it out! Hope you get here soon! Bye! Oh, wait. You're probably wondering how I got your phone number, huh?"

May nodded, though the boy on the screen obviously couldn't see it.

"Well you see," Wally began, "I got the number from – wow, too dramatic," then the video gram cut off.

The girl raised an eyebrow, noticing the odd change in voice, like someone else had taken over Wally's message. Nevertheless, the fact that her message seem to cut off bothered her more. "Hey!" May smacked the side of the pokégear. "What's wrong with all my electronic devices today? Why do they hate me?"

"I wonder where Wally got your number from," Flare wondered, her head cocking to the side. "Can you search for other human numbers somewhere?"

"In Johto I know you can, but since pokégears aren't really native to Hoenn, I'm not so sure," May replied truthfully. "But I don't care how he got my number. I wonder why he called me ..."

"Who knows – hey! A wild pokémon!" Flare chirped, using one of her talons to point to a wild zigzagoon.

"Awesome! Let's catch 'em!"

* * *

"Brendan! Slow down! I have little feet!" Brendan heard his mudkip cry as his trainer stomped in front of him, smashing long grass underneath his new running shoes. He caught his breath as soon as his trained obeyed his request. "What's wrong? Are you still mad because May hit you even though she said she wouldn't?"

Brendan and Mudkip were back near the Rustboro Tunnel, getting clues to find another way to get to the other side of the mountain. So far they were unsuccessful.

"No," he grumbled as he trekked forward, but at a much slower pace. He stepped over a boulder. "But it has to do something with May."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Mudkip asked suspiciously, running a little faster to keep up with Brendan and his long strides.

"It all started this morning ..." Brendan began, trailing into thought.

... It was five in the morning. The only sound heard was the chirping baby taillows and the water pokémon stirring in the pokémon center's pool. That was until–

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

"What the heck is that?" Brendan shouted, covering his head with his pillow. "Someone make it shut up!"

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Brendan groaned and sat up, his white hair pointed in all directions, trying to trace where the infernal beeping was coming from. He finally tracked it down – it was coming from May's bag. He turned around to face May's sleeping form.

"May, if you're asleep, say nothing," Brendan whispered to her.

May fidgeted a little but no sound came out of her mouth (besides breathing anyway).

"Well, she's awake since she didn't say 'nothing,'" Mudkip concluded in his sleep, before turning onto his back and snorting, giving Brendan the impression that Mudkip was awake before.

"Okay ..." Brendan stated slowly, creeping over to May's bag and unzipping it quietly. He felt sound vibrations coming from something in May's bag, so he pulled it out. His lightly tanned hand wrapped around a circular device. "Ah, right. May's pokégear. I guess they work like a PokéNav except they aren't as high-tech." He pressed the button that was blinking on and off.

"One new video-phone message," the pokégear said in a dull tone. "One new video-phone message. One new video-phone message. One new video-phone–"

"All right! I heard you the first time!" Brendan whispered harshly, pressing the same button again. The screen blacked out for a second, and instantly someone that Brendan despised ever since the day he met him – which was two days ago – came onto the screen.

"Ugh, Wally," he spat out. "What a way to wake up in the morning. It's ten times more worse than having Mudkip's drool all over your clothes."

Mudkip, now fully asleep, kicked Brendan's backpack off the bed.

Brendan ignored that and began to play the video-message, turning the volume down so it wouldn't awake the others.

"Hey, May!" Wally on the screen said happily, waving maniacally, much to Brendan's displeasure. "I finally made it to Verdanturf Town! It's really cool, and what's the word? Springy? Fresh? I don't know, but you have to check it out! Hope you get here soon! Bye! Oh, wait. You're probably wondering how I got your phone number, huh?"

"Yeah, Wally. How did you get May's number?" Brendan growled. "Went back all the to Littleroot to ask her mom?"

"Well, you see," Wally explained. "I got the number from you mom back in Littleroot when we were going to Verdanturf Town."

"What the–? Verdanturf Town isn't even in that direction, moron!" Brendan yelled. His eyes went wide as looked at May's sleeping form, praying to the pokemon gods that she didn't wake up. Luckily she didn't.

"And now you're probably saying that Verdanturf Town isn't even in the direction of Littleroot," Wally added.

"Got that right, buddy," Brendan replied, rolling his eyes.

"See, this is kinda hard for me to explain." Brendan noticed that Wally's cheeks flushed a little bit. "But ever since I met you – which was two days ago – and helped me catch a pokémon–"

"I was the one who pointed out the ralts," Brendan argued with the screen.

"... I had this, uh ... err ... I began to, um–"

"Don't say like, don't say like." Brendan held his breath.

"–Um, this is hard for me to say."

"Just say it already!" Brendan's eyebrows furrowed together.

"I like you ... in the more than friends sort of way, if you know what I mean."

Of course. That stupid prat just HAD to go after his traveling companion to irritate him more. "No!" Brendan fell to his knees, dropping the pokégear and making it clatter against the polished wood floor. "Wow, too dramatic," he whispered to himself, getting up off the ground.

"Recorded," the PokéGear stated in its dull tone.

Brendan, alarmed, picked up the device and rewound it to where Wally's face appeared again. Again he pressed the button that played it.

"Well, you see," Wally began, "I got the number from – wow, too dramatic!" The message was cut off.

Johto devices were weird. It could just record over messages like that? At least Wally's smelly message about liking May would cut off. Wait, why did he care anyway? It's not like he cared who May dated. Latios, what an annoying girl. Those two deserve each other. But then again, if those smelly two did date each other, and he was still forced by his dad to travel with smelly girl, then he would be with two things he kind of, sort of disliked. The lesser of two evils ...

God, he rambled too much in his head. With a sigh, Brendan put the pokégear back in May's bag, got into his bed, and tried to get back to sleep ...

Brendan shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Ugh ... What a horrible morning." He rubbed his temples, taking in a deep breath.

"I remember that earlier this morning!" Mudkip shouted happily, giggling soon afterward.

"Ah, so you were awake," Brendan stated smugly, smiling at his mudkip.

Mudkip nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I remember kicking your bag off the bed when you made fun of me!" He smiled innocently. "Fun times!"

"Whatever." Brendan shook his head.

"So you're mad that Wally likes May?" Mudkip asked, confused. "I wondered why you seemed to hate Wally."

"Oh, and why did you think I hated Wally then?" Brendan asked, glancing down at his starter pokémon. He looked up thoughtfully, closing his eyes as morning's rays graced his face.

"At first I thought it was because he caught a rare pokemon on his first try," Mudkip answered. "Then, I thought it was because he called you 'Brandon.' Now I think you hate Wally because you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous of his ralts if that's what you mean," Brendan added, fidgeting with the leftover strap from his backpack. "Though when I was helping my dad with research, I had to search everywhere just to even get a glimpse of one."

"No, not that!" Mudkip remarked. "I think you're jealous because you think Wally has a better chance with May."

Brendan thought about this for a moment. "That's crazy talk, Mudkip. Why would I like May? She's just ... she's just some annoying girl."

"Ah, right. Annoying." Mudkip pounced a daffodil in the grass, and the white, fluffy seeds floated in the air above his head. "We'll see how long that lasts." And with that, the water type ran ahead of Brendan into the forest, the thick tree branches casting his tiny body in shadows.

Brendan scratched his head, watching the long tail of his mudkip swing back and forth as he ran. "Whatever you say, Muddy."

**Last Revision: 06/26/09**


	10. The Boat Ride to Dewford

w00p w00p. I'm almost to the fifty review page mark. I feel so loved.

**Disclaimer**: Never had and never will own Pokémon.

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**The Boat Ride to Dewford**

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Brendan felt cold. He sure it was to be expected seeing as the entire city was made out of stone and he was blanketed in the shadow of a very tall building. As he looked out the window, staring at the wall of said towering building, he couldn't help but contemplate his journey so far ... rather his journey with that annoying, bratty girl. It made him depressed; he would be stuck with her for at least a year. How was he supposed to survive that? But then, out of the abyss (well, the sliding doors) was the bright, very pleased May who bounced into the pokémon center, her radiance blinding him like the intensity of a million suns. How annoying. She took the seat across from Brendan, noticing that he gave her the side-eye but chose not to comment on it. She then watched as Mudkip noisily slurped up his water before slopping up the rest of his pokémon food on the table, smudging his mouth with smashed food.

May was back earlier than she said she would be. She must have failed catching pokémon. Better rub it in. "Hmm, you're here early," Brendan remarked slyly, looking at the time of his pokenav. "No luck catching pokémon?" He puffed out his chest. "I caught a–"

"Actually, you brat," interrupted May, raising an eyebrow. "I did catch some pokémon." She looked up thoughtfully and started to list them off, counting them on her fingers. "I caught a wingull, and a wurmple, and a slankoth! I nicknamed him Brendan. Just kidding! It would be an insult to the pokémon."

"Well gee. Thanks," Brendan replied sarcastically, picking at his pancakes with a fork. He swirled the syrup around his plate. "I caught a–"

"Andddd ..." May interrupted him again, "I also caught a Skitty! I only kept her and the wurmple on my team, though. I named the skitty Skittles–"

"Wow, that's very creative." Brendan rolled his eyes. "How long did it take you to think of that name? A day or two?"

"–and I named my wurmple ... I named my wurmple ... Actually, I don't think I named my wurmple yet. It's sad really. She's the only one without a nickname. Now I know how you feel. But I wouldn't know what to name her anyway! She could be a Dustox or a Beautifly! I'm hoping for a Beautifly. They're so ... beautiful."

"Uh, great," Brendan replied, unsure if the last statement was a sarcastic remark or a pity call. "Wait, how did you get a Skitty? I thought you only went past Petalburg Forest. The skitty breed doesn't live anywhere near Petalburg."

"I did, but it was still too early to go back, so I went ahead and went to Route 116, and I caught my Skittles!" May said jubilantly, raising her fist in the air. "So what were you saying earlier? Something about catching something?"

"Huh?" Brendan seem preoccupied with watching Mudkip and his eating habits. "Oh, I just caught a nincada and a whismur – not as many as your collection. You know, girl ..." he trailed off, turning his head to look at a row of computer pushed up against the wall of the center, "with all these nicknames, you might want to register them in your name. You don't have to, technically, but it makes things more official. We can put them in them in the database using those computers there."

"It's May, once again. And hmm ..." She took some time to think about this before nodding. "Great, then. Maybe we can think of some nicknames for your pokémon, too!"

"That'd be nice. Wouldn't it be, Muddy?" Brendan picked up his flailing mudkip, annoyed that he was being forced apart from his breakfast.

"Stop calling me that! I hate that name!" he squealed, trying to wiggle out of Brendan's grasp. Brendan was too strong, though, and he too tiny, and he went limp in his trainer's arms as he and that annoying girl partner of his walked over toward the computers.

The chairs squeaked under the cold linoleum as May plopped herself in the plastic seat, Brendan following suit in the one next to her. He reached over and turned the computer on, and the screen fizzled for a bit before dimly turning on, the light behind the screen slowly growing in strength. Once it was finally on, Brendan pulled out his trainer's card and swiped it through the card slider next to his name. Instantly, Brendan's trainer information was on screen, revealing his hometown, his starter pokémon, and his age.

"July second, huh?" May peered over to look at Brendan's computer, reading his birth date. "Darn. That makes you older than me by ..." she counted on her fingers again, "two months. Almost three." She huffed, blowing up her bangs.

"As should be," Brendan muttered absentmindedly, typing in new information. "A boy always should be older than his girl companion."

"Must you be so ... so sexist all the time?" May rolled her eyes. "And 'girl companion?' Really? You make me sound like a sidekick."

"It's true. And you're not?"

"Ugh. Whatever, Brendan Birch!" May pulled out her own trainer's card, a striking silver color compared to Brendan's shiny green one. "I got my license in the Johto region. Does it matter where I get it, even if I'm traveling in another region?"

Brendan was too distracted to answer right away, his eyebrows furrowed. "What? Oh." He gently took May's card from her grip and compared the two cards. The cards were similar in nature with the picture placed to the right and information listed to the left, the region, but the region, which decorated the top were different with "Johto" on May's card written in a dark gold and "Hoenn" on Brendan's written in white. He flipped the cards around, reading the information on the back. "I doubt it matters," he replied unsurely. "As long as you're registered under the international database, you should be fine." He handed her back the card.

"Ah ... right." May swiped her trainer's card through the card slot, and her information was brought up as well. "Guess I should change this ..." She highlighted the slot that said "hometown" and changed it from Goldenrod to Littleroot. "What are trainer's cards for anyway?"

"Did you not learn anything in school?"

"I was home schooled, remember? Learning about the importance of trainer's cards wasn't that high up on my list. Besides, Johto rarely used their trainer's cards outside of registering for the league once you got all eight badges."

"Oh, uh ... Pretty much the same here, then." Brendan smiled sheepishly as he entered his poochyena and lanturn underneath the slots that read "Most used pokémon."

May turned to look at Brendan's screen again before doing the same on hers, inputting her torchic, wurmple, and skitty in the slots. "Do these things update on their own? Like when a pokémon evolves or something?"

Brendan pulled out pokéball from his belt and showed May the bottom of it. Finely etched on the bottom of the sphere was a serial number. "Your pokémon is connected to its ball. If you input the serial number in the computer, the database somehow reads the energy in the pokéball and is able to tell if the pokémon has evolved. I don't know. I didn't really pay attention when my dad was blabbering on about it." He set the ball on the table and inputted the data for Sapphire's ball and his poochyena's.

May nodded and pulled out her three pokéballs, setting them on the table, inputting their data as well. "Now to nicknames," she remarked with a smile, her finger trailing over the smooth surface of each ball. "Well my torchic is Flare, obviously ... Actually, since I liked Flare and Ember equal, maybe i'll combine them ... Flarember. It sounds pretty, doesn't it?" She typed that in quickly.

"What's the point of that? You're still going to call her Flare, aren't you?"

"Yeah. But it's pretty," she repeated, continuing to type. "Skitty is Skitttles ... And I'll name my wurmple Cherry. I don't know why, but I think it fits her." She gave the enter key a satisfying tap. "And there."

The boy sat back in his chair and sighed, looking down at the mudkip resting in his lap. "Nicknames, nicknames ..."

"Do you have to have nicknames for your pokémon?" asked May curiously.

"Well, no. But it kind of separates them from their pack, you know? Makes them more different." He scratched Mudkip's head, making the being growl in delight. "Hmm ..."

"You should name your poochyena Sirius," May said thoughtfully.

"Er, why?"

"Well, it's the dog star, isn't it? And it seems fitting."

"It does have a ring to it." Brendan nodded, typing it in under his poochyena's slot. "Sirius it is. And my lanturn already has a nickname, Sapphire. Nincadas are kind of silver-looking, and to keep with this whole color theme, so I'll name him Silver. It's kind of neat since I already have a pokémon named Sapphire." He looked back down at Mudkip. "What about you? What do you want to be called?"

The mudkip snorted. "I don't care."

"Oh, really?" The boy smirked. "What if I called you Bemired? You still wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Go ahead and bluff. I don't believe you."

Brendan smirked and typed it in, hitting the enter key with a loud tap. "I don't bluff. I do."

Mudkip's eyes went wide as it hopped out of Brendan's lap and onto the desk, poking a paw against the glass screen. "You really didn't nickname me that, did you?" he whined, turning around to face his smirking trainer.

"I thought you didn't care. I'd still call you Mudkip if you wanted."

"But ..." Mudkip looked down. "I kind of liked the nickname Muddy ..."

The boy trainer's jaw dropped. "Whaaaaaat?" Brendan picked up his mudkip and looked him straight in the eye. "After all that crap you gave me? Does 'Brendan, I hate the name Mudddyyy' ring any bells?"

Mudkip went limp in Brendan's arms, shifting his eyes to the side. "Well ... I lied. Now change it!"

"I'd already submitted it," muttered his trainer. "I'd have to go to some office to officially change it again. That's so trainers don't confuse their opponents if they look them up in the trainer database."

"Changeeeee it," the mudkip whined again.

"Ugh. Tell you what. There's an option to have a middle name. I'll make your middle name Muddy and we'll go by your middle name. Sound fair?"

"Fineeeee."

Brendan plopped Muddy on the floor, and the being scampered around on the floor, trying to bite at his tail. Brendan inputted Muddy's middle name in the slot and let out a relieved sigh. "Finally. Nicknames. Hopefully I won't have this much trouble once I catch other pokémon."

May ignored Brendan. "I want middle names, too."

Brendan rolled his eyes. "So put them in. You don't have to ask me for permission."

The girl trainer rubbed her chin, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. She then snapped her fingers. "I'll make Flare's nickname Blair and Cherry's Berry!"

"Cute. Rhyming. What are you going to make Skittles'? Wittles?"

"No. That's lame." She stared at the dull-eyed Brendan. "You're lame."

"Whatever, girl."

"It's May. And I'm going to make Skittles' middle name Angel because she's a total sweetie." She glanced down at the third pokéball that rested on the table and gave it a small smile. "You should give your other pokémon middle names too, seeing how Bemired–"

"Muddy."

"–Muddy has one."

"You know how much trouble I had thinking of regular nicknames. Now you want me to think of middle names?"

"It can't be that hard. You're just stupid. For example, you should continue that constellation thing you have with your poochyena. Make his middle name Orion. What do you know about Silver?"

"They're fast, especially when they evolve. So I'll give him the middle name of Dart. Sapphire ..."

May snapped her fingers again. "Diamond. Just to keep with the gem theme. And she's kind of a diamond in the rough, isn't she since she really can't hone her electric power yet."

Brendan gave the girl a small smile. "I like that. Thanks, girl," he remarked as he typed that in.

"May Maple. Repeat it."

"No thank you." Brendan logged and scooted back in his chair before standing up. He bend over to scoop up Muddy before returning him to his ball. "So did you find anyone that could sail us to Dewford?" he asked, clipping his team's pokéballs to his belt.

"I did, actually." May did the same as Brendan, careful not to smudge the glossy surface of each pokéball." She got up from her chair and stretched her arms above her head, letting out a small yawn. "Remember that one old man who's wingull we saved? He lives near the outskirts of Petalburg Forest, and he has a boat, and he often sails to Dewford, so he'd be happy to help us get there."

"Awesome." Brendan pulled on his backpack strap and nudged his head toward the door. "Ready to leave?"

May looked at her trainer's card for a minute before pocketing it. "Uh, yeah. Let's go, B Boy." The two headed toward the door, and the door opened for them, the cool wind blowing against their face. May stepped out first, followed by Brendan, and the two quickly made their way toward Petalburg forest. "Want to know something weird, Brendan?"

"Hmm?"

"Wally sent me a video gram today." Brendan's eyes went wide at this. "It was really weird since I never gave him my phone number and part of the message was cut off and was replaced by some other guy's voice. I wonder why he called me. I know it has to be more than him telling me that he made it to Verdanturf Town ..."

Brendan gulped back nerves and did his best to respond. "Oh, you got a video gram from Wally?" he repeated, trying to sound clueless. "How did Wally get your pokénav number? You just got it."

"He sent it to my pokégear, actually," May answered, unaware that Brendan knew that already as the two crossed the bridge that lead toward the entrance of the forest. "I'm really curious ... He's a nice boy, don't you think?"

_A nice boy that doesn't say thank you,_ Brendan thought angrily in his head.

"Uh, yeah," he replied out loud, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it too much, May. That Wallace kid does seem like one of those freak children that take five hours to say good-bye after all."

"Well, if you say so ..." May still sounded uncertain as the two entered the gaping darkness of Petalburg Forest once more.

* * *

"... Do you think we should call an ambulance?"

"I don't think he's sick, May. Not physically, anyway."

The two trainers watched Mr. Briney chase his wingull around a mahogany table in a weird mix of amusement and morbid fascination. Round and round he went, the old man chuckling like a mad man and the wingull chirping in delight back, flying circles around the old man's head. The old man and his pokémon hadn't noticed that Brendan and May had entered the cozy cabin.

"Shake a can of pennies or something," the girl trainer hissed.

Brendan gave May the side eye before clearing his throat. "Er, Mr. Briney?"

At this, Mr. Briney stopped in his tracks, the wingull landing on his shoulder. He let out another hearty chuckle as he walked over toward the two wide-eyed trainers, shaking both of their hands warmly. "It's good to see you again, May. And you, too ... uh–"

"Brendan," the boy answered.

"Ah, yes. I suppose you're both here to head to Dewford, correct?"

The two rookies nodded.

"Well, I'm ready to go when you are." He motioned toward the door, Peeko on his shoulder chirping at this, and opened it, a blast of ocean air almost knocking the poor old man back. He let out another chortle, bewildering Brendan and May further, before heading toward the docks where a small, white boat was docked, bobbing up and down in the gentle ocean current. "She's a beauty, isn't she?" It was a little scruffy looking with scratches all along the sides with dirt encrusted on it. The sail flapped meekly in the wind, and it looked like it smelled something awful as well. "I've had this boat for years."

"It's beautiful," May agreed, running toward the docks, the floorboards groaning under her weight. She climbed aboard, enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat. "I love traveling on the sea. Come on, Brendan!" she yelled as Mr. Briney climbed aboard as well. Peeko hopped off the old man's shoulder and flew toward Brendan, pecking at his head playfully.

Brendan groaned, swiping at the bird as he shakily stepped on the docks, already feeling nauseous from the swishing water underneath the floorboards. Truth be told, Brendan got seasick, and quite easily at that. But it had to be done. He had to get to Dewford and get that badge and deliver that package and that letter. Gulping back nerves, the white-haired trainer climbed aboard as well, and Mr. Briney quickly started the ship, letting it rumble a bit before steering it forward toward the open ocean. May let out an excited whoop as Brendan quickly slumped to the floor, clutching as his stomach, his face turning dangerously pale.

May gripped the railings tightly, enjoying the light ocean spray that graced her face. Everything seemed to go by in a blur, but May was able to make out several small island that dotted Hoenn's beautiful oceans. Up ahead, she could see a flock of wingull and pelipper fly over head and watched in amazement as a pelipper swung down toward the ocean, its huge beak slicing the thrashing water with ease. The sun was delightful on her skin, and the cool ocean air provided much relief. It would have been a picture perfect moment if she hadn't looked down and noticed the boy trainer slumped on the floor. "Oh, don't tell me you get seasick!" she complained, slowly sliding down to look at Brendan's white face. Her hand made her way to below Brendan's slumped head, and she pushed it open, noticing that his cheeks were blown out and his eyes were wide but dizzy. "Ah, crap." May quickly pushed Brendan's head back down and backed away a bit, afraid that he would barf all over her new clothes. "Do you ... do you need something?" she asked from far away.

The boy trainer didn't reply, his hand making its way from his stomach to his closed mouth.

May looked back and forth between Mr. Briney and the slumped form of Brendan. "Mr. Briney!" she whined as Brendan stumbled to his feet and bent over the railing, letting out an odd choking noise. "Brendan's going to hurl, I think!"

"Shut ... up," he managed to gasp out.

The boat went over a particularly large wave, making the girl squeal in delight and the boy groan in agony. "Let it out, my boy!" declared Mr. Briney, laughing.

May's face twisted in disgust and she almost hurled herself as she watched Brendan twitch a bit, gripping the railing tight, before releasing his breakfast into the thrashing ocean below. She quickly turned her head, trying to suppress the memory. "Are we almost there, Mr. Briney?"

"Aye, lass." Mr. Briney pointed toward a small dot of land up ahead. "That's Dewford Island. It's a nice little town. Quite quaint. Brawly, the gym leader of Dewford, puts a lot of effort in keeping the water around the island clean. He's quite the fellow."

May didn't respond, shuddering as she heard Brendan upchuck again. The boat started to slow down, and before she knew it, Mr. Briney docked at one of Dewford's many docks, letting the ramp down. "There we go, you two. We're here. I think I'll spend my time fishing and visiting the locals, so I should still be here if you need me!"

"Thank you, Mr. Briney!" May pulled at the back of Brendan's shirt and dragged him off the boat, waving at the old man and his chirping wingull. As soon as the two hit the sandy shores, Brendan flopped over and kissed the land, grabbing fistfuls of sand and flinging them in the air.

"Raikou, watch it!" the girl squealed, wiping at her eyes.

"You're going to have to learn the Hoenn legendaries," Brendan muttered, standing up. He brushed the sand off his clothes. "Most people use 'latios' or 'latias' here. Sometimes 'rayquaza,' too."

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes. Don't you want to be a cool kid?" Brendan swung his backpack around to the front and unzipped it, pulling out the letter the Devon president gave him. He then handed it to May who took it in her hands without second thought. "Now that you got that, you go look for Steven. I'm going to challenge the gym leader here!" And with that, the boy gallantly stomped toward the gym, the sand cushioning his steps, but May pulled him back by grabbing onto his backpack.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked, waving the letter in Brendan's face.

Brendan pointed toward the largest building on the island, its tall, wide windows gleaming in the sunlight. Grains of sand were embedded in the walls of the gym, giving it a beach-y effect. "To the gym," he repeated. "Can't you listen, girl?"

"It's May. And I heard you the first time. You can't just leave me to find Steven by myself!"

"Oh, it can't be that hard. I'm sure he's in one of these houses." Brendan motioned his hand toward the few homes that were littered across the small island. "Just knock, ask, and then leave if he's not there. You're a big girl. You can do it all by yourself. I believe in you!"

"Don't be a jerk. And even if I can, why do YOU get to challenge the leader first? Don't you remember that ladies go first?"

"I see none here." Brendan let out a small laugh as May lightly socked him in the arm. He rubbed at where May punched. "C'mon, May. You got to battle Roxanne first. If I battle first, then I can give you hints about what pokémon Brawly uses. It's a fair trade off."

May let out a defeated sigh and ran a finger down the sharp edges of the envelope. "Fine. Go ahead. See if I care."

"Great!" Brendan cheered, dashing toward the gym. "See you later!"

"Yeah, yeah." May waved him off and began to head to the first house. "It's going to be a long day, isn't it?"

* * *

Reasonably short chapter. Oh well. This was another chapter that had nothing important in it like a gym battle. Fwee.

Well, thanks for reviewing and LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 6/25/09**


	11. A Battle Between Friends

My dumb computer is going retarded on me as always, but this time it's effecting my word processor. It freezes now, and I have to save all the time because if I don't I have to type over whatever I didn't save (sigh). So it might take me a while to get a new chapter out for now, lol.

* * *

**A Battle Between Friends (Part I)**

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* * *

**

"Aw, May. I don't want to go in here," Flare chirped in fear, hopping off of May's shoulders and hiding in between her feet. "It's all dark and moist, and ... wet." She shuddered for a moment, imagining water pelting her fluffy feathers.

While Brendan left to challenge the gym leader, May was on her own to find Steve Stone, grandson of the president of the Devon Corporation. She looked at the letter in her hand, and then at the cowering torchic between her shoes, a torchic who she released to keep her company. Odd company, but company nonetheless. She learned from a fishermen that Steven had retreated into the dark depths of Dewford Cave to look for rare stones.

"Hehe. Stone is looking for stones." May laughed at her tired, old joke. "That's funny."

"No it's not," Flare complained, groaning. "It's old and tired, so why don't we re-work all of your jokes at, you know, the pokémon center, instead of searching for Steven in that," she shuddered once again, "cave."

"Nice try, Flare, but we're going in." May bent down to pick up Flare, but she stuck firm to the ground using her talons.

"Nuh uh! I don't want to! You can't make me!" Flare stuck out her tongue at May, clawing even further into the ground. "I'm not going in whether you like it or not!"

"Stop being a chicken, Flare. Then again you are one." May began to pull even harder. "It's just a cave! You've been in Rusturf Tunnel. Why won't you come in this one?"

"Because it's wet! Duh!"

"Flare ..." May complained, tugging even harder at her pokémon. "You know we have to go in because Steven is in there, and we have to deliver this darn letter! He's nowhere else! We have to go in!" After a few more firm tugs, May finally pried Flare out of the ground and held her tight to her chest. "Got you now! We're going in whether you like it or not."

"Help! I'm being pokénapped! Ah!" Flare squirmed in May's arms, trying to get out. "Call the police!"

"Very funny, Flare. It's not like anyone can understand you anyway. Cute try, though." May rolled her eyes, stepping inside of the cave. Surprisingly, the cave was well lit. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, swaying back and forth gently, casting the cave in a golden glow. "See, I told you it's not dark in here!"

"You never told me that."

The girl trainer sighed and stepped in further, looking around. The cave was narrow, the walls moist and dripping. The air smelled like wet sand, almost stifling her and the squirming torchic in her arms. Near the end of the narrow passageway was the top of a ladder. Curious, May headed toward it and peered down. Nothing but darkness.

"I wouldn't go down there if I were you, miss," a gruff voice called from behind them. May turned around and saw a muscular yet short man walk toward them, walking awkwardly because of his puffy, brown clothing. He was adorned with adventure-like gear – ropes, flashlights, the works. "It's quite bright up here, but you can't even see the tip of your nose down under there."

May crossed her eyes and desperately tried to see her nose. "I can't see my nose now, though. Besides, it can't be that dark, can it? My eyes can adjust."

The hiker – May assumed he was one – quickly shook his head. "Not for this cave, no. In fact, this one man, Steven Stone – I think that's his name – had terribly strong pokémon with him, yet he didn't venture in without using a special move called Flash. It's a move that lights up the dimmest of caves. You are a rookie trainer, correct?"

"Yeah, but–"

"Your pokémon should easily be able defeat the wild pokémon within the cave, but you'll be lucky if you even find a pokémon down there."

The girl shrugged this off, not threatened. "I'm sure I'll be fine, but thanks for your concern!" May smiled, and began to climb down the ladder, one arm still clutching Flare to her chest.

* * *

Brendan nervously stepped into the trainer's box, clutching Sirius' pokéball tightly in his hand. He looked around nervously, trying to take in his surroundings. For some reason or another, the gym was basked in darkness, but if the boy squinted his eyes, he could make out tall pillars carved out of stone that decorated the sides of the battlefield. Stones were littered across the field, and the flooring was made out of gruff sand. He scuffed his foot against it, kicking up dirt.

"You must be Brendan Birch, my next challenger." Brendan turned his head left and right, trying to find whoever was talking to him. "Is that right, little dude?"

"Um ... yeah, I guess," Brendan replied. He focused his attention toward the opposite side of the gym, barely making out a tall, lean form from across the field. The boy assumed it was Brawly, the gym leader. "Why is it dark in here? Does it help you train better or something?"

"We believe that. Anyway, let me introduce myself, little dude." Brawly snapped his fingers, and instantly, bright lights from the ceiling turned on, burning Brendan's eyes. He was a handsome man with dark blue eyes, his long, blue hair pulled back back in a low ponytail, though loose strands draped themselves across his shoulders. He was dressed in a casual fashion, his jeans hanging loosely from his waist. "I am Brawly, the Dewford City gym leader, dude! I love surfing, and I love water, but I'm actually Hoenn's fighting-type gym leader!" He did an odd motion with his hands, and Brendan could only assume it was pseudo fighting move.

"Fighting types ... Right." Brendan fumbled with his pokéballs, minimizing Sirius' pokéball and pulling out Silver's instead. "Fighting types are good against dark, I think," he murmured to himself.

"So let's get this rule stuff out of the way." Brawly plucked a pokéball from his pocket and tossed it in the air, catching it. "Both of us will each use two pokémon. No time limit. You will be able to switch pokémon at any time of battle, but I cannot. If either you or I run out of pokémon, the opponent will win. Ready to play, Brendan?"

"You're on!" Brendan answered, extending Silver's pokéball to its full size. "Go, Silver!"

* * *

"Ah, the light! It burns!" May blinked a few times before climbing the full extent of the ladder. Stumbling a bit and blinking a few more times, she heard the slight chuckling of a husky voice.

"Can't say I didn't warn you, lass," the hiker remarked.

"I know, I know. I should have listened. No need to tell me," May muttered, loosening her grip on Flare just a tad. "Is there any way of getting down there without breaking your nose on the cave walls?"

"As I said" the hiker repeated, "the only way to see down there if is your pokémon learns the move Flash. If a fire pokémon uses a fire attack to light up the cave," he noticed Flare clutched in May's arms, "the dampness is surely going to put it out."

"So that's why Flare's flames died quickly," May replied thoughtfully. She returned the torchic to her ball. "It's damp down there since the cave is near the ocean and all, right?"

"Right," the hiker replied, digging inside of his vest pocket in search for something. "I think I can help you – here it is!" he exclaimed, pulling out a small, square device from his outer pocket. He held it in the flat of his palm and beckoned May over to take it.

May slowly treaded over and poked at it with her index finger. "Is that a HM? I always wondered how you used those ..."

"They're kind of like recordings," answered the hiker. "Same thing goes for technical machines, or TM for short. You just insert it into any computer and have your pokémon watch the video, and they should be able to learn it. It's quite interesting how advance our technology has become ..." The hearty man trailed off but quickly shook his head to shake himself out of it. "Anyway, take it. I have plenty, and I already taught my pokémon that move anyhow."

May hesitantly took the device out of the hiker's hand and examined it under the glow of the lanterns that swung overhead. "Er, thank you, mister."

"Anytime, lass."

* * *

"All right, Muddy!" Brendan cheered. Machop's picture on the board faded just like Brendan's nincada.

Muddy didn't respond as a brilliant flash of white light surrounded his body. He grew a few feet taller and wider before the light died down. Instead of Muddy's mudkip body, there stood a larger, more happy-go-lucky looking pokémon. He had a wide smiled planted on his face, orange fins on each cheek. Instead of one tail, he had two fins connected to his hind legs, now having the ability to stand on two feet rather than all four. He had the same fin on his head except it was a darker shade of blue. Brendan couldn't help but wonder when Muddy was going to evolve – he had for at least half a year, and they've been training together for quite some time. Not that he was impatient about it or anything.

Muddy cried glancing down at his new body. "Awesome! I can stand up on my hind legs now!"

Brendan couldn't help but laugh at Muddy's remark. "Looks like it! Let's do it, Muddy!"

Muddy got back into his battle stance before Brawly sent out his next pokémon. "I see your pokémon evolved, dude. But let's see if it can compete with my next pokémon! Go get 'em, Makuhita!" Out popped out a small, yet chubby, sort of pokémon. It looked happy jumping up and down, its tan body jiggling, making the newly evolved marshtomp stifle a laugh. His fists were black and round circles decorated his cheeks.

"All right, Muddy! Water Gun!"

* * *

Flare hopped eagerly at May's feet as the girl trainer heaved out a sigh. She looked out the window behind her, the gentle back and the forth of the tide intriguing her as she shifted a bit, the red cushion below her rear not giving her any comfort. Turning away, she pressed her back against the cold glass and looked down at the torchic that was looking up worriedly at her.

"What's wrong, May? You look troubled," Flare asked, concerned, hopping into May's lap. "You would think someone that received a HM would be rejoicing."

"It's not that, Flare," May glanced at her Pokémon before closing her eyes. "It's Brendan."

"Ooh! May likes Brendan!" Flare replied teasingly.

"Flare!" May scolded her in a playful type of matter. "I don't, okay? I just want to battle him again before we leave Dewford. It's just that with that lanturn of his – Sapphire or whatever – and with Muddy trained a few more levels when we first started ... And then he has a poochyena and a nincada ... You know, I made a promise to myself, Flare."

"What's that?"

"Ever since that ... jerk told me that boys made better trainers, I vowed that I would always beat him in battle. But now I'm not so sure." She ran her hands down her face, pulling at her eyelids, making a face that made her torchic cheep in merriment. "We gotta beat him."

"What's the big deal about battling anyway?" the torchic asked inquisitively. "So what if he thinks boys are better trainers than girls? You and me both know that's not true."

"Yeah, but he doesn't, and that bugs me. So we gotta prove it. Besides, Flare, don't you want to become stronger?"

"I guess. Well, what are we waiting around here for? There were plenty of pokémon in Dewford Cave that we could train on! Let's get stronger and whoop some boy butt!"

May smiled. "I thought you hated that place."

"I'll make an exception ... for now."

The girl laughed. "All right, Flare." She stood up, scooping the torchic in her arms. "I'm going to train you guys so we can beat Brendan, and then he can pay for my bike!"

Flare looked up at her quizzically. "Uh, what?"

May rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry; wrong story. Let's go train!"

* * *

"Ugh, where is she?" Brendan complained, looking at his ever faithful Muddy. It had been about an hour since Brendan won his second badge. He already healed his Pokémon and now was aimlessly roaming the island in search of his friend. Or girl. Or whatever she was.

Muddy, still in shock that he could walk like a human, smiled bigger. "Why are you so keen on finding May? Wink, wink; nudge, nudge."

Brendan threatened to return Muddy into his pokéball by showing him the ball but decided against it since it was one of those rare times where Muddy would be allowed to stroll about outside of his pokéball since he evolved. "Your intelligence went up, yet you're still immature at heart."

"They say that the pokémon takes after the trainer," Muddy pointed out, smirking.

"I'm sure they do, but hopefully Flare won't turn into a Pokémon version of May," Brendan replied, turning around to go the north end of the beach, shuddering.

"That'd be cool. I can annoy her by calling her 'girl' as well."

Brendan stared dully as his goofy grinning marshtomp and returned him to his pokéball. Annoyed at the amount of sand that made its way into his shoes, he walked past a particular large boulder and found May throwing rocks into the ocean in attempt to skip them across the bumpy water. "You know, girl, that only works at lakes."

"Shut up. And my name is May. I was looking around for you, but then I got bored and decided that trying to skip rocks across an ocean would be a better use of my time."

"Har, har."

May smiled as she noticed the bright blue, fist-shaped badged clipped to Brendan's backpack strap. "Hey, you beat Brawly! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. Totally a worthwhile battle," he replied with a small smirk. "Now what do you want to do? Did you find Steven?"

May shook her head. "Nope, but I do have an idea about where he is. But that's not important right now." The girl unclipped a pokéball from her belt and threw it in the air, the ball spinning, its colors blurring together. She caught it and held it firm in her grasp. "Seeing as we're such a beautiful spot and there's so much room, why don't we have a rematch?" She smiled alluringly, blinking a few times and looking at Brendan through her long eyelashes.

Brendan wouldn't fall for this coy look, though he did find May unusually attractive because of it. Shaking his head, he repeated, "A rematch?"

"You heard me. Right here, right now. Not unless you're afraid of losing to a girl ... again!"

Latios, this battle would be cake now that Muddy evolved. She wouldn't even see it coming. "Let's make it a three on three?" he suggested.

"Fine by me. Prepare to lose; I've been training." Throwing her hair behind her shoulder, May, smirking, enlarged the pokéball in her hand and threw it toward the makeshift battlefield. The ball burst open midair, and a wiggly form landed on the ground. The light around the creature soon down, revealing the small but spiky form of May's wurmple. She wiggled on the ground, sand getting caught in between the grooves of her dry skin.

"Let's make this a bug against bug battle!" Brendan picked out Silver's pokéball and threw it toward the field. In a flash of white light, the silver-white form of Brendan's nincada appeared, clicking his front legs and glaring at the wurmple.

"Start things off with String Shot, Cherry!" May commanded.

Cherry reeled back and opened her mouth, sending out sticky string toward the nincada. The string wrapped itself Silver's front legs, and Cherry tugged back, dragging Silver toward her.

"Cut yourself out of there with Scratch, Silver!" Brendan ordered. Silver managed to pry one of his front claws away from the sticky string and slashed at the long string that connected the wurmple to him. "Now use Leech Life!"

"Counter with Poison Sting!" retaliated May.

The two bug types opened their mouths, revealing a sharp dart. Cherry's dart was a dark purple while Silver's was a bright white. The two pokémon released their attacks at the same time, and the darts beelined for their opponents, only to crash in the middle in a tiny blast of power. It kicked up sand, making both trainers cough and shield their eyes.

"Hmm ... Silver, Sand Attack!" ordered Brendan, pointing at May's wurmple.

Silver turned around and used his bag legs to spray the worm pokémon in a sharp shower of sand. The wurmple flinched, grains of sand getting into her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to alleviate the pain.

"Focus, Cherry!" begged May. "Try tackle!"

Cherry, her beady eyes watering, dashed toward the waiting nincada, her head lowered, ready to ram him down.

"Dodge, Silver!" Silver quickly sidestepped out of the way, turning around to look at Cherry's back. "And use Fury Swipes!"

Nodding, Silver scuttled over toward the unaware Cherry, one of his front claws raised. He slashed at her back not once, not twice, but three times before pulling away, letting the worm squeal in agony. She then crumpled over, twitching in pain.

"Ohh ..." May said woefully, pulling out Cherry's pokéball and returning her. "Great job, Cherry. I'm proud of you." She then glanced up, noticing the smirk on Brendan's face. "You wipe that smirk off your face, Brendan Birch." She switched pokéballs on her belt. "This battle is just getting started!"

* * *

Thanks for reviewing as always!

Now my new goal. The 100th review mark. Whoever is the 100th reviewer get this – (hold Muddy down, puts a "For Sale" sign around his neck and puts him in a window) – this lovely Mudkip!

Muddy: Hey! I don't want to leave yet!

Aw, Muddy loves me.

Muddy: I only stay for the free food.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 6/25/09**


	12. A Battle Between Friends Pt 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Oh, yeah, the May/Brendan battle poll is closed but I'm opening another one for a future between two other people. This story keeps going off track. Pfft.

For the people who have the game, you know that Wally and his uncle are standing in front of the Mauville Gym, so they can see if Wally can beat the leader right? And then Brendan or May come and battle him so Wally can prove to his uncle that he can beat the leader there right? I'm not going to have that battle. I have this little thing planned in Mauville (doesn't happen in the game) but May's not battling Wally – Brendan is. I wonder why ... Hmm. Trust me, it looks better than it seem.

* * *

**A Battle Between Friends (Part II)**

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* * *

**

Brendan shook off May's taunt. "Yeah, sure." He waved it off with a nonchalant motion of his hand, angering the girl further. "Next pokémon, please."

May let out a flustered huff and reeled her arm back before releasing the ball from her grasp. "Up and at 'em, Tai!"

The ball burst open, and the creature within immediately took to the skies, flying around May's head before heading toward the field. He was small even with his wingspan spread to its fullest. His blue and red feathers contrasted against the light brown sand below. Brendan recognized it as May's taillow, a pokémon that had a type advantage against his nincada. He didn't panic, though.

"Quick Attack!" May shouted. Tai reacted quickly and swooped down toward the wide-eyed Silver, hitting him with his head and sending the bug flying back. The nincada landed head first with a rough thud, his head stuck in the head. His back legs flailed about wildly, trying to pull himself out.

"Silver!" Brendan cried worriedly.

May flicked her hair behind her shoulder again, confident. "Let's finish this off. Peck 'em, Tai!"

Tai let out a chirp and swooped back down, landing gracefully on the sand next to Silver's wiggling behind. He prodded Silver with a claw before swiftly moving his head down and pecking at Silver's backside several times. Silver's legs straightened themselves out before going limp, indicating that he fainted.

"Silver, return." Brendan recalled his pokémon and thanked it for a job well done as Tai took to the air and chirped happily at his win. Switching balls on his belt, Brendan, determined, threw it toward the field, and the being within came out, barking gruffly, his black fur ruffling in the ocean breeze. He heard May coo as the poochyena's tough but cute exterior.

"Aw, so cute," she cooed.

Brendan slapped his forehead. "Show her how tough you are, Sirius! Tackle!"

Sirius let out a bark (something that May cooed at again) and darted over toward Tai, jumping up to tackle him. The taillow simply flew up higher to avoid, chirping cheekily as Sirius landed back on the sand. He looked up, snarling, his red eyes narrowed.

"Don't you remember our first double battle? That's not going to work," May said haughtily, popping her hip to shift her weight. "Quick Attack, Tai!"

"Oh, really?" Brendan smirked as the taillow swooped down again, his wings spread. Just as Tai's wings were about to hit Sirius, Brendan ordered, "Bite, Sirius! On his wings!"

Sirius opened his mouth just as Tai's wings brushed past him, and he clamped down, making the taillow screech in surprise. His teeth sunk into the bird's feathery flesh, making him screech louder.

"Now send it flying into the rock wall, Sirius!" his trainer shouted.

Sirius obeyed his trainer's order and flung the screeching taillow toward the rock wall nearby. Tai crashed sickingly with the wall, his wings spread wide, before slowly falling toward the soft sand below, dazed.

"Tai, return!" May quickly recalled her pokémon and frowned as the boy cheered. "Hmph. Don't think you're all that just because you got around a disadvantage."

"Or should I?" Brendan replied as he got onto his knees to give his poochyena a grateful belly rub. Sirius growled in delight, his tongue hanging outside his mouth. He soon stopped and Sirius got back on his feet, skipping over toward the field again.

May pressed her lips against her next pokéball before throwing it toward the field. "Come on out, Flare!" The ball released May's torchic, and she looked around curiously, noticing how close they were to the shore. She retreated a bit toward the side, getting away from the lapping tide while quivering a bit at the salty wind.

Ha, still a torchic. Easy, peasy for Muddy – not unless Sirius could take her out. "Sirius, Bite!" commanded Brendan.

"Dodge, Flare and use peck!" ordered May.

Sirius snapped his jaws at the torchic, but she quickly moved out of the way, retaliating by hitting him midback with a few sharp pecks. Sirius growled at this, but Flare merely returned it by giving him a peck to the head, dazing him out a bit. The poochyena stumbled around but quickly regained composure with a quick shake of his head.

"Sand attack, Sirius!"

The poochyena, waved his behind at the torchic, which bewildered her, before kicking his hind legs in the air. Once he landed, his hind legs deep in sand, he kicked backward, spraying the torchic in dirt. Flare growled angrily and bumbled around, her eyes watering up from the barrage of sand.

"Try an Ember!" cried May.

Flare opened her mouth and released several small flames that danced wildly in the wind before disappearing. The wind was too strong and the air too wet for Flare's flame to fully take form.

"Tackle!" ordered Brendan.

Sirius turned back to face his opponent and darted toward her, kicking up sand in his wake. He lowered his body to the ground, his head soon following suit. May cringed as Sirius rammed his head into Flare's feathery body, but it did give her an idea.

"Ember while they're at close range!"

Flare, currently below the canine, opened her beak once more, and the flames scorched the underbelly of Sirius. Sirius let out a loud howl and jumped off Flare, letting her stand back up, and started to run in circles, his body smoking. Whining, he finally ran into the ocean to alleviate his burning stomach. He then began to flail about in the waves, barely able to keep his head above the water.

"Sirius, return." Brendan recalled his pokémon back into his ball and sighed. "Well, final battle huh?"

May nodded, determined.

"Try not to look too surprised," said Brendan with a smile as he picked up Muddy's pokéball and threw it toward the sandy ground. "Come on out, Muddy!"

The girl trainer let out a gasp (as did her faithful starter) and the much taller, much muscular form of Muddy appeared. Muddy must have evolved somewhere between the time that May left Brendan at Dewford Gym and when Brendan started looking for her. Her eyes narrowing, she murmured, "So that's why you've been so cocky. You think you're going to win just because Muddy evolved."

Brendan shrugged. "It seems kind of likely, yeah. Either way ..." The boy pointed at May's wide-eyed torchic, "Water Gun, Muddy!"

Muddy inhaled deeply, his chest puffing out, before exhaling a jet of cool water that beelined for the torchic. Flare took the attack head on and flew backwards, skidding across the battlefield. She groggily got back up and shivered, her feathers dripping wet.

"That should have fainted her for sure," muttered Brendan, noticing Flare was still standing albeit panting a little. "So you HAVE been training. Pretty intensively, too, by the looks of it."

"Flare is a naturally born battler," the girl replied, giving her pokémon the thumb's up. "She's a tough little thing, isn't she? Scratch 'em, Flare!"

Flare, her head feathers blowing backward, jumped into the air as soon as she was closed to Muddy and slashed at his stomach. The marshtomp let out a small groan and clutched at his stomach but didn't seem too badly injured by it.

"Even if your little torchic can stand up to Muddy's attack, her attacks won't do much good against Muddy's hard skin." Brendan declared haughtily, putting his hands on his waist, his pokémon doing the same while puffing out his chest. "She's just too tiny."

"Yeah, too scrawny," Muddy added in, though May couldn't understand what he was saying; all she heard were disgruntled growls. Flare did, though, and she growled at this, glaring at the prideful marshtomp. "Face it, Flare. That was pure luck beating me the first time we battled. You won't be so lucky this time now that I got skill."

Flare let out an angry chirp and hopped in place. "You're not so tough."

"Sure I am. Tougher than you, anyway." This made the torchic angrier. Muddy continued to boast. "You're just some puny, unevolved pokémon, aren't you Flare? So cute. So widdle. So tiny. Aww ..."

Flare's body began to shake, an energy building inside her stomach. She felt it growing inside her, spreading from the tips of her claws to the ends of her wings. "Cute?" she huffed out. "I'll show you cute!"

The girl trainer was unaware of the conversation that was happening in front of her, other than the sassy responses her torchic gave to Brendan's marshtomp. "Flare, what are you talking a–" May shielded her eyes with her forearm as a bright light shone around her torchic. Through squinted eyes, May noticed the small form of her torchic was beginning to grow, stretching upwards, giving her an extra foot of height. As the light died down, May noticed the sharp claws that were once her torchic's wings and her legs were now much longer. Her head remained relatively the same, the three feathers on her head blowing in the wind, but her facial features changed from something cute to something fierce with cold, red eyes and a more pointier beak.

"Oh _come on_!" whined Brendan, pounding a foot in the sand. "Just when I think I have something on you, your pokémon just HAS to evolve into a combusken! Ugh!"

"Wait, what?" May looked up curiously from her newly evolved pokémon that was glaring angrily at the bewildered marshtomp in front of her and toward the boy trainer. "Combusken? How did she evolve so suddenly?"

"Sometimes pokémon evolve when provoked by emotion. Happiness, determination – argh! Why am I telling you this!" Brendan slapped his forehead and pointed at May. "Let's battle! Muddy, Water Gun again!"

The girl trainer quickly reacted despite her confusion. "Dodge it and use a Peck attack!"

Flare, now stronger with her new combusken legs, hopped over the jet of water easily and landed in front of Muddy, pecking his head rapidly before jumping back, avoiding a punch that Muddy swung at her.

"Muddy, use Mudslap!" Brendan ordered. Muddy stomped the sand, burying his foot in deep, before kicking it up and at Flare. Flare used her arms to protected herself, cringing a bit as the sharp grains of sand embedded themselves into her skin.

May quickly pulled out her pokédex Professor Birch gave her and scanned Flare, unsure about her new moves. "Try a Double Kick!" May commanded, putting her pokédex to the side. Flare, her claws balled into tight fists, kicked Muddy in the head before quickly turning around and kicking him in the stomach. The marshtomp let out an odd "oof!" and fell backward.

"Hang in there, Muddy, and use Mud Shot!"

Muddy jumped back onto his feet and took in a deep breath of fresh air, exhaled dirty, brown mud from his mouth. Flare tried to evade it but failed, ending up eating a face full of dirt. She threw her arms in front of her, the mud hitting her claws instead of her face, her back pressed up against the rock wall when Muddy ended his attack.

"Flare!" May cried, worried. She watched as Flare peeled herself off the wall, disgusted by the mud that was drying on her claws. "Try Peck again!"

Flare, gasping for breath, flung herself at Muddy, her claws outstretched and rapidly pecked at Muddy's head again. Muddy stumbled backward, the blows to his head making him feel dizzy.

"Finish her off, Muddy! Another Mud Shot!" Brendan was getting frustrated by now.

Muddy began to take in another deep breath, but Flare quickly kicked him in the stomach. Muddy gagged, spitting up saliva instead.

"Use Scratch!" May directed. Flare raised up one of her claws and slashed at Muddy's face. Muddy immediately put his paw against the cut and pressed against it, shivering in pain.

"Hang in there, Muddy!" Brendan shouted words of motivation. "Use Tackle!" Muddy tackled Flare right into another nearby boulder.

"Flare, hang in there and finish him off with another Double Kick!" May commanded. Flare, once again, kicked Muddy in the stomach. Muddy keeled over in pain and fell to his knees. He then flopped on his belly, twitching with fatigue.

"Ah! Muddy!" Brendan cried worriedly, returning him and whispering words into the pokéball. Sighing in defeat, the boy trainer made his way toward the girl, his eyes downcast. "Here." Brendan dug into his pockets and forked out some money.

"I couldn't." May declined the money. "Besides, you pay for the food anyway so ..."

"If you're sure." Brendan reluctantly put the money back in his pocket. "You know I'm going to beat you one day."

May snorted but gave Brendan a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't bet on it."**  
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Ok, now I'm done lol. Sorry this chapter is so short. I'm lazy today.

Thanks for reviewing and LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 6/25/09**


	13. Inside Dewford Cave

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. It's a sad day in the life of Breezy.

For some strange reason, my computer kept freezing on me, but then again I have like fifty things up. Have fun reading this lame, old chapter? J/k ... sorta. I have this feeling that this is going to be a boring chapter since it's the Dewford cave one, and I have no funny ideas in my head, but I'll try. I've been busy for the past two days, so sorry I didn't update sooner.

This Dewford Cave scene might be wrong since I started my game over (the 8th time), and I'm too lazy to get to Dewford yet even though it'll take me like five minutes tops. Enjoy!

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**Inside Dewford Cave**

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"So this is where Steven is?" Brendan asked May, peering into the darkness below the ladder. After Brendan's defeat and a quick stop at the pokémon center, May told Brendan about Steven's whereabouts and her problems reaching him. "Why is he in here of all places?"

"He's probably searching for stones," May answered. "His grandpa collects stones, so I guess that his grandson collects them too. Did you know that their last name is Stone? Hehe, Stone is looking for sto–"

"Yeah, a pun. I get it. So hilarious." Brendan rolled his eyes as May huffed and put her hands on her hips. Brendan enlarged Sapphire's pokéball and released her in his arms. Once she emerged, Sapphire let out a small coo and cuddled into Brendan's chest, the light that swung in front of her face slapping his cheek and letting out a spark. The boy let out a gasp at the sudden shock, making Sapphire giggle. "Thanks for lending me that Flash HM, May." Brendan looked up from his pokémon to May. "I think it really helped Sapphire learn how to hone her energy in her beacon."

"Glad to be of service, Brendan." May mocked bowing and scratched the top of Sapphire's head, smiling at the lanturn's growl of pleasure. "She is a little tiny, especially compared to the lanturns I've seen back in Johto."

"Yeah. My dad thinks she was forced to evolve earlier than she should have."

"How?"

"Well, remember how I told you that Flare evolved because Muddy was taunting her and it made her angry and determined to kick his butt?"

May nodded.

"Well, emotions play a huge role when it comes to a pokémon evolving. Maybe just as much as training does. Some do it out of joy, out of determination to win ... I think Sapphire here, being a pokémon that wants to please everyone, just wanted to make her old trainer happy back when she was chinchou and evolve sooner than she should have." Brendan cast his eyes up toward the ceiling thoughtfully, mindlessly stroking the top of Sapphire' head before shaking his head to snap himself out of his thoughts.

"Interesting," May murmured, glancing at the beacon that swung in front of Sapphire's head.

Brendan nodded in agreement and held up his lanturn, looking her straight in the eye. "You ready?" he asked.

Sapphire smiled and closed her eyes, and Brendan could feel her insides churning with energy. Slowly but surely, her beacon crackled, a few jolts of energy jumping out of it, and a dim light generated inside her beacon, making both Brendan and May gasped in delight.

"You did it, Sapphire!" Brendan cheered as May clapped her hands.

Sapphire smiled wider, making her beacon glow a little bit brighter, and she waved her beacon back and forth in front of Brendan's face. "Lanturnnn ... Lanturnnn ... Thank ..."

Brendan still was having a little trouble understand Sapphire since the lanturn was a little bit weary of trusting him right away (and he couldn't blame her), but he managed to understand her last word partially, and it made him grin, turning her around so he could hug her. He then motioned his head toward the ladder and murmured, "Ladies first."

"Then whatcha waiting for?" May smirked.

He blinked and shook his head. "You know that you're implying that you're not a lady by making me go first," Brendan shot back, flashing a smile.

May thought about this before nodding slowly. "You're good," she said, walking past him and scaling down the ladder, "but not better than me." She looked back up showed him one of her brilliant smiles.

Brendan felt like thousands of beautiflys were tackling his insides. Not even beautiflys, but more like dancing swellows beating their wings against his insides. Crap, whyyyy? It's not like he liked her or anything. Ew. Gross. Ignoring his thoughts, the boy trainer held Sapphire with one arm and climbed down with the other.

May jumped down first, sinking into the damp ground. "See? I told you it was dark."

The boy trainer jumped off the ladder, landing squarely on both of his feet. Even with Sapphire's light, it was still a little too dark for comfort. "Yeah. Come on." He trudged forward, May quick to follow at his heels, occasionally stepping on them. Irritated, Brendan continued to walk straight, the sound of dripping water echoing through the bare cave. He occasionally heard the cry of geodudes and heard the flaps of zubat's wings above his head, and he felt May brush up against him out of nervousness. Usually Brendan would have flipped if May was too close, but there was something comforting about May's touch. T'was odd.

"Do you see anything?" he asked, his hand grazing against a stone wall. He felt the moisture seep through his glove.

May, now gripping onto Brendan's forearm, pointed forward. "Yeah," she replied. "I think that's another ladder up ahead. See? That thing sticking up from the ground."

Brendan nodded and the two walked closer to investigate. May was right; it was another ladder leading toward another level. He looked at May who was smiling sheepishly at him.

"Ladies–"

"Aw, don't even say it"" Brendan growled, descending the ladder. "I'll go down."

"You're no fun," May pouted, climbing down as soon as Brendan was out of sight.

Further down the cavern wasn't any better. In fact, it seemed much worst. The air was thick with the scent of moist earth, and it was colder. Goosebumps popped up on Brendan's skin, even underneath his sweater. The only good thing about the cavern was that there was only one main path, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find Steven.

May slowly climbed down the ladder. "Are we there yet?" she groaned, hopping down the last three rungs and landing squarely on Brendan's foot.

"Okay. You're. On. My. Foot," Brendan groaned through clenched teeth.

"Oh, in that case ..." May stomped harder on Brendan's foot. She then let out a cute giggle.

Brendan's eyes widened for a second, but he stayed calm. Whatever calmness May's touch gave him quickly vanished. Dammit, she was annoying. "Fine. If you won't get off my foot, then I'll do it myself." He pulled hard on his foot, causing May to trip.

"Ow!" May shouted, falling onto her bottom. She looked up, glaring as Sapphire let out a happy noise, swinging her beacon back and forth. "You didn't have to do that!"

Brendan ignored her and began to walk away. Luckily, this level of the cave was small, so Sapphire's light, although dim, was still bright enough to light up the entire cavern – at least until Brendan went up or down another level.

"Ugh!" May screeched, brushing herself off. "I live in a world full of jerks!" She walked in the opposite direction of Brendan, kicking dirt in her wake. "I'll show him! I'll find Steven first and a makuhita and a zubat and an – an abra!"

An abra, sleeping against a boulder, opened one weary eye at May, and after detecting no threat, returned back to sleep. He snuggled against the boulder, his yellow fur getting dirty. He twitched his long, thin tail a few times as if dreaming, his small, little nose scrunching up. His thin, claw-like fingers scratched at the rock.

Abras were hard to catch in Johto due to their ability to teleport, and she figured they were hard to catch in Hoenn as well. "I'll catch that abra and then shove it in Brendan's face!" May smirked, confidence running in her veins. She plucked a pokéball from her belt and threw it onto the open, sandy path. The ball spiraled and hit the soft ground, releasing May's wurmple who let out a tired yawn. May noticed that she was getting more sleepy lately which excited her, actually; she read that wurmples needed a lot of sleep before they could evolve into their cocoon form. "Tackle, Cherry!"

Cherry wiggled a bit before worming her way toward the sleeping abra. Blinking twice, she rammed him hard with his head, and the abra merely twitched, his body pressing up hard against the rock it was sleeping against. He then shuddered, and like that, he teleported away.

"Dang. It got away," May muttered disappointed, returning Cherry. "Nice try, Cherry! We'll get them next time!"

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"Girls are stupid. Human ones, anyway."

Sapphire looked up sympathetically at her trainer as he kicked a stone down the sandy path. It didn't give him any satisfaction, though, for the rock merely got stuck in the sand instead of skipping down the path like he wanted. He continued to kick the rock anyway as soon as he close to it, channeling his anger through his kick.

"I take that back, Sapphire. Not all girls are stupid. In fact, girls are wonderful." His eyes narrowed. "It's just that ... that THING they call May is stupid. Quite stupid. Can you believe she actually stomped on my foot? So mature. So verrryyy mature."

Sapphire stayed quiet, enjoying the gentle up and down of Brendan's walking. Her beacon swung back and forth in a rhythmic pattern.

"I can't believe my dad made me travel with her! She's going to drive me insane! I should just leave her in here."

Sapphire let out a small moan.

"Yeah, I guess you're right; that would be too mean–" Brendan would have finished his sentence if not for something suddenly tripping him. Sapphire flew from his arms, and she skid backward on her belly, puzzled. Her light flickered a bit, but she closed her eyes, and the dim light recharged itself.

"And I trip. Of course." Brendan sighed, readjusting his bandanna on his head before standing back up and walking toward Sapphire. He got onto his knees and pet her reassuringly. "Are you okay, Sapphire?"

Sapphire nodded, her beacon bobbing up and down.

The boy smiled. "Good. What the hell, though? What tripped–" Something knocked into Brendan's legs, interrupting him. Turning around slowly, he noticed an abra who was strangely wide awake. It tried to push past Brendan's leg, and Brendan, reluctantly moved to the side, wondering what it was up to. The abra stopped in front of Sapphire and gazed up at her beacon, one clawed hand poking at it, making it jiggle. Sapphire whined and tried to move away but couldn't due to her lack of feet.

Brendan observed the odd sight, his research's mind kicking in. Abras were hard to find. Not too rare, mind you, just hard to find due to their ability to teleport at will. This abra looked scratched up, though, like it just teleported; teleporting takes up a lot of energy after all. The boy then turned his attention toward his whimpering Sapphire, swinging her beacon at the abra in an attempt to scare him away. The abra didn't move, though, his eyes simply following the beacon back and forth. From what Brendan looked up in his pokédex, he knew that Sapphire, when its beacon is turned on, has the ability to entice pokémon toward it.

Since it looked so weak, Brendan pulled out an empty pokéball from his backpack and enlarged it. With the abra's knowledge, Brendan threw the pokéball toward it, and the abra turned into a ball of red energy, zapping inside the ball, much to Sapphire's relief. The ball shook a few times until Brendan heard the familiar ding, indicating that he officially caught it.

"Awesome ... he whispered, picking up Sapphire with one hand and the pokéball with the other.

The sound of thumping footsteps echoed throughout the cave, making the boy look up. The dark figure of May's slim form became more apparent the closer she came to Sapphire's light. Noticing Brendan on the floor, May got excited and waved at him, running. "Brendan," she breathed out. "I think I found Steven. He's in the opposite direction. I was going to give him the letter, but I realized I gave it back to you." She rubbed the back of her neck, noticing the astonished look on Brendan's face. "Er, are you okay, B Boy?" she asked worriedly, holding out her hand to pick him up.

Brendan quickly minimized abra's pokéball and pocketed it, grabbing May's hand to pull himself up. "Yeah ... Never better, really," he replied in a dazed voice, his hand still gripping May's.

"Good." The girl smiled, the light shadows on her face making her look more radiant. "C'mon then." She pulled at Brendan's hand and walked forward. "He's this way. Let's go!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Brendan followed along, noticing that the girl trainer didn't let go of his hand. "Er ... why are you still holding my hand?"

May stopped in her tracks and looked at their entwined hands. "I don't know." She swung their hands back and forth playfully. "Make fun of me all you want, but I feel safe when I'm close to you. I don't like being alone in this place." She then began to walk forward again, still swinging their entwined hands. "You don't mind do you?"

Brendan felt the same odd sensation in his stomach like earlier. "Not at all, May."

"Good." The two walked in a serene silence until May piped up, "You know, Brendan, while we were apart, I found an abra, and I tried battling it. But it teleported away. I wonder where it went."

"Ha ... imagine that."  
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Short chapter, I know. This one was suppose to have May's battle, but it's 11 pm and I want to get this chapter out by 12 for strange reason unknown.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last revision: 6/26/09**


	14. The Knuckle Badge

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Eh, I thought that last chapter was crud, but I wrote it when I was sleeping. I still have the drool on the keyboard. I had to wake up pretty early to write this chapter since my cousins are sleeping over and they're going to annoy me if they see me typing it.

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**The Knuckle Badge**

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"That Steven is a nice guy, isn't he?"

It was a new day in Dewford, and Brendan and May decided to take a breather and relax on the beach. The boy could tell that May was still musing about yesterday's events (a lot had happened after all) as he looked up from his water bottle to stare at the girl sitting next to him, watching as her toes curled up in the soft sand. She picked up a handful of sand and poured it down her bare legs, enjoying the tickling sensation. The boy nodded, biting the spout of the bottle, his teeth sinking into the plastic.

"Who is he anyway?"

"Uh ... Grandson of that one president, remember?"

May leaned back on her hands, pointing her head up toward the sky, enjoying the warmth. Her eyes sparkled under the golden rays of sunlight. "Yeah, but he has to be more than that. Didn't you catch glimpse of that one pokémon he had. It looked tough. So he has to be some hotshot trainer, don't you think?"

"I think he was pretty famous ... He competed in the Hoenn league a few times like ... a long time ago when I was little, though. Either way," Brendan stuck his water bottle in his backpack, "you should go challenge the gym leader before it gets dark. I think we've done enough lounging around for awhile."

The girl found a rock in the sand and rolled it between her fingers. "But it's such a nice day," she whined. "Can't we just relax?" She flopped backwards into the sand and closed her eyes, smiling, spreading her arms across the ground. Sand poured in between the gaps of her fingers as she took fistfuls of it, letting it pile up in small pyramids.

"We can't keep Mr. Briney waiting," Brendan pointed out. "While I'm sure he appreciated us rescuing Peeko, I'm sure he wants to go home, too. I mean, it's nice enough that he's even boating us to Slateport."

May groaned and sat back up, running her hands down her back to brush off the dirt. "Oh, fine." Blowing up her bangs, she stood back up and slipped her shoes back on, bending over to pick up her fanny pack. Hooking it around her hips, she asked, "Are you coming with me?"

He nodded. "Nothing else to do."

"That's why you want to come? Not to cheer me on or anything cute?"

Brendan responded by simply raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, whatever." May headed toward the gym, one of her hands gripping tightly at one of her pokéballs and Brendan strolled behind her, his hands in his pockets and his head thrust back in a relaxed manner. The clear glass doors of the gym swished opened for her as she stepped on the mat, instantly greeted by the cool breath of the air condition and darkness.

Just ... darkness.

"Um ..." May stepped inside, Brendan following suits, and the doors closed behind them, making her jump up. She squinted her eyes, her eyes searching for any spec of light. "Why is it so dark in here?"

Brendan shrugged. "Who knows, and who cares. Well, I know actually. Brawly says it helps him and his trainees train."

"Weird. So how am I suppose to find the leader if I can't even see my hand in front of my face?" she asked Brendan – wherever he was. To prove her point, she held her hand in front of her face and could barely make out the white stitching of her glove.

"You just do," Brendan replied from behind her, digging inside his backpack and pulling out a flashlight, turning it on. "Besides, you have me, and I've already been through this path ... thing."

"Some knight in shining armor." May rolled her eyes, and Brendan blinded her with the flashlight in response. "Okay, okay!" She winced, rubbing at her eyes. "I'll take that back even though I don't want to."

"Good." Brendan smiled. "I finally have the power! What should I do with it?" he murmured, rolling the flashlight in between his hands.

"Nothing if you know what's good for you."

"Duly noted." Brendan pulled at her arm, indicating her to follow him, and the two descended deeper into the gym. Like always when trapped in dark places, May pressed herself against Brendan's arm before slowly clinging onto it, and, like always, he responded by rolling his eyes but let her hang on to his arm anyway. "So do you know what type Brawly uses, May?"

May tried to recall what she read in Brendan's manual. "Um, fighting, wasn't it? So I should use Tai, right?"

"Mhm. Flare should do well here, too. Maybe she'll learn a something from watching other fighting types ..." Brendan trailed off as his light landed on a fork in the road. They walked toward it and stood in the middle, first looking left, and then right.

"What? Are you lost, Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor?" May teased.

"No," Brendan huffed, flustered. He flicked his flashlight's light down the path to the left before turning around to do the same for the right. "I'm just contemplating, that's all. This place brings back fond memories."

"Of what? Getting lost?"

"Oh, so sassy, aren't we?" Brendan groaned as May giggled He pulled at her arm again and lead her down the path to the right. "This way."

Seconds passed, which quickly turned into minutes as Brendan lead May down several paths, his face screwed up in confusion. May let out a tired moan, trudging behind Brendan, her head cast down. Strands of loose brown hair draped in her face. "Are we there yet? I swear we've been down this path before."

Brendan's eye twitched. "Stop whining. Do you want to get to Brawly or not?" he muttered, stopping, scratching his head.

"Yeah, and we probably would be if you stopped getting us lost."

"It's not like I'm trying to on purpose!"

May marched over toward Brendan and grabbed his flashlight out of his hands, ignoring his whining. Humming annoyingly to herself, she turned around and flashed the light down another corridor. The light reflected off a plaque that read "Gym leader's room."

"Suicune you're such a–" she began only to be interrupted by Brendan.

"What did I tell you about using Hoenn legendaries instead?"

"Fine. Latias, was it?"

"Aye."

"Okay then." She cleared her throat and slammed Brendan's flashlight into his chest, making his gasp. "Latias you're such a failure," she proclaimed, stomping toward the gym leader's room. Coughing and rubbing his chest, the boy quickly followed after her, heading toward the side of the battlefield to watch.

May stepped into the trainer's box, a square made out of white chalk that was drawn on the gritty battlefield. There were lights, though dim, that were bordered along the battlefield. From the dim light, May could make out boulders scattered across the field, and the white chalky line that divided the field into two. She then tapped her foot and put her hands on her hips as she waited for the gym leader to emerge.

Sure enough, the tall, finely chiseled form of Brawly appeared, the lights of the gym getting brighter with each step he took. May couldn't help but admire his blue eyes, his pulled back hair, his muscles underneath that tight shirt ... Stopping herself from drooling, she put on a smile and waved at Brawly as soon as he walked to the opposite side of the field.

"Hi, Brawly!" she said, her voice higher than usual as she giggled.

_Is she fangirling over Brawly?_ thought Brendan as he sat on the steel bench on the side of the battlefield. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. _Girls ..._

"Aren't you a happy one, little dudette?" Brawly returned her smiled. "My name is Brawly as you know, and I am the gym leader of Dewford City. We use fighting types in this gym and let our fists do the talking!"

May nodded eagerly, enthralled by Brawly's words, making Brendan roll his eyes.

Brawly began to announce the rules. "We each will use two pokémon each! No time limit! You will be able to switch pokémon anytime in battle while I cannot! Whoever faints the opponent's two pokémon first is the winner! Are you ready?"

May nodded, her battle mode turning on. She plucked a pokéball from her belt. "Ready when you are!"

"Then let the battle begin! Go, Machop!" Brawly threw out a pokéball toward the field, and a gray pokémon, bulging with muscles, appeared in a blaze of light. Though short in stature, the being was incredibly strong as he flexed his arm muscles, flaring up the three thin, brown adornments on top of his head. He growled his name, taking a battle position.

"I choose you, Tai!" May cried, releasing the small swallow pokémon from his ball, remembering Brendan's advice. Tai broke free, sparkles of light still flickering off his feathers after being released, flying around May's head before heading toward the battlefield, eyeing down on his opponent. "Start things off with a Quick Attack!"

Tai flapped upward for a bit before swooping down toward the fighting type on the floor, colliding into the machop's chest. Both of them skidded backward, Tai's beak digging into Machop's chest, and the creature growled back, angry, taking hold of the swallow and throwing him back. Tai, grunting, flew up, ruffling his feathers.

"Machop, Focus Energy!" Brawly ordered. Machop clenched his fists and dug his feet into the ground to get a better stance. Energy radiated from his body as he concentrated, the muscles in his body pulsing and twitching.

"Tai, use Peck!" May commanded. Tai took off after doing a fancy twirl in the air and dove down, pecking rapidly at the machop's head. Machop shook his head, swatting Tai away like an annoying fly and began to pump up again, the energy surrounding him growing brighter.

"Use a Karate Chop, Machop!" Brawly instructed. Hopping onto a rock, Machop jumped up toward the swallow and knocked one of his fists on top of Tai's head with a sickening blow. Surprised, Tai immediately slammed down into the rocky floor, twitching his wings.

"Ouch. That had to hurt." The girl cringed for her pokémon as she watch her taillow hover slowly up into the air again, his head bowed down. "Better end this fast. Tai, wing attack!" she commanded.

Brawly raised an eyebrow at the attack as his machop was attacked brutally by a flurry of wings and red and blue feathers. He staggered for a moment before taking another fighting stance, trying to catch his breath. "She took things up a notch, huh? Well, so can we. Bulk up and then low kick!"

Machop jumped onto a nearby boulder and took several deep breaths before kicking Tai squarely in the face much to the bird's surprise. Tai lost control of his flight for a moment before using his wings to stop tumbling in mid-air.

"Finish 'em off with a quick attack!" May directed. Tai flew down toward Machop again and tackled him, this time at his stomach, before taking flight upward, spiraling before regaining stability. Machop fell over, his eyes clenched shut.

"Not bad, little dudette," Brawly stated, returning his machop, switching balls on his belt. "But let's see how you do against my next pokémon! I choose you, Makuhita!" The gym leader sent out his last pokémon, a chubby, pink fighting type. The makuhita jumped up and down in place, his body jiggling in a mixture of fat and muscle. He grinned widely at his opponent but in a happy way, not a taunting one. "Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" Makuhita, for a chubby-looking pokémon, was quite agile, as he jumped onto a boulder and then up toward Tai, his arm raised. Every small karate chop managing to hit the wide-eyed bird, and Tai fell to the floor, tried to fly right, but was too tired to do so.

May returned Tai and whispered words of praise inside his pokéball before replacing it with another. "All right, Flare, I choose you!" May released the ball from her grasp, releasing her faithful fire and fighting mix in a blaze of light. The combusken flexed her new muscles and glared at her opponent, awaiting orders. "Flare, Double Kick!"

Flare sped over toward the jiggling makuhita and used her two talons to kick Makuhita twice in the stomach. Makuhita fell over for a second before getting up, looking unaffected by the attack. He jigged again, grinning merrily, bewildering the combusken.

"Makuhita, Bulk Up!" Brawly ordered. Makuhita, like machop, inhaled several deep breaths, getting pumped for his next attack, his muscles bulging underneath his jiggly exterior.

"Ember him, Flare!" May ordered. A jet of reddish-orange flames streamed out of Flare's beak, engulfing the makuhita in a fiery whirlpool. Makuhita stopped jigging, his face scrunching up a bit as hot flames licked at his skin, yet the smile on his face didn't seem to disappear.

"Hang in there, Makuhita, and use tackle!" Brawly commanded. Makuhita burst through the fire, his body scorching, and tackled the fowl pokémon, causing Flare to skid back. She lost her footing and fell on her back, groaned in pain. Not out of the game, though, she quickly jumped back onto her feet and charged up again, flames snapping at her claws.

"Flare, use Focus Energy and then tackle 'em!" May instructed.

The combusken felt energy waves throbbing inside of her as she continued to gain power, her body radiating with a red glow. Soon afterward, she tackled the makuhita quickly before landing on her side of the field once again. Makuhita unsteadily got up, looking worn out but still willing to fight for his trainer.

"Good job, Makuhita! Arm Thrust again!" Brawly directed. Makuhita whacked one of his arms into Flare several times before stopping the attack, shaking his arm to get rid of the cricks. Flare let out a strange cawing sort of noise, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay, Flare?" May asked worriedly. Flare gave her the thumbs up sign, still gasping for breath. "Atta girl! Ember again!"

Flare let out a tired cough, one claw pressed against her chest, before arching backward, flames trying to burst out of beak. She then thrust her body forward, the hot orange flames zooming in toward her opponent. Makuhita screeched, dancing in place, trying to get out of the fire, but Flare simply followed his movements, making sure he couldn't escape. As Flare's attack died down, so did the makuhita, falling backward, scorching. The two trainers waited for a minute, seeing if the makuhita would stand back up, but he didn't, and May was sure that she won.

"All right, Flare! We won!" May ran out of the trainer's box and hugged the pokémon to death. Flare choked for a moment but seemed to enjoy the attention that her trainer was giving her.

Brawly returned his pokémon and jumped out of his own trainer box, walking across the battle field toward the girl trainer and her pokémon. "Congratulations, May!" He dug around his pocket and pulled out a badge. "This is the knuckle badge! You did great!"

May gave her pokémon a final hug before standing up and accepting the badge, admiring its shininess. "Thanks, Brawly!"

"I hope to see you another day, little dudette, and good luck with the rest of your journey!" Brawly waved to May as he turned around and walked in the opposite direction to tend toward his wounded pokémon.

Flare looked up admirably at her trainer as she shined the badge against her shirt. "Now that we've won out second badge, what should we do now?" May asked, strapping the badge on her bag.

Flare raised her eyes. "Like you don't know."

May smirked. "Of course I do, but do you know?"

"Party!" Flare cried happily. "Well, as soon as you get us healed first."

May let a small laugh. "Don't worry, Flare. I got my priorities straight."

**Last Revision: 6/27/09**


	15. Magma in the Sea City

THANKS FOR THE 100 REVIEWS! PARTY TIME (_throws confetti everywhere_)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. 'Nuff said.

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**Magma in the Sea City**

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May had been up for awhile, sitting on her bed, fiddling with her pokenav. She never considered herself a morning person until after she started traveling. Perhaps she was anxious for a new day of adventure. Perhaps it was because she fell asleep easier and earlier, due to said adventuring. Or maybe it was Brendan. The girl looked at him wearily. He reminded her of the abominable snowman with his snow-white hair all ruffled up and drool pooling down on the pillow below. His sheets were tossed and turned over like he was dreaming of something terrible. Both of his legs were hanging over the side of the bed as if he were trying to sleepwalk but failed miserably.

"Well, he isn't in my personal space this time, but what the heck?" she murmured to herself, her eyes glinting evilly. Grabbing her pillow, she walked over to Brendan's side of the room, bent over a bit to stare at his sleeping form, before straighting back out and whacking him with the pillow with all her might. The pillow let out an odd "poof" noise as it contacted the sleepy boy's head.

Disturbed, Brendan jolted from his slumber, the blankets that covered him crinkling and drooping toward the floor "What?" Brendan yelled, glaring at the sheepishly smiling girl in front of him. He put a hand to his forehead, resting his head there. "Was I in your 'personal space' again?"

"No," May replied, taking hold of the pillow and hugging it to her chest. "I just felt like hitting you with my pillow. I had my fun."

The boy grunted. "You know, your fun isn't that fun for me, but whatever. Do you have to hit me every morning, though? It's getting quite annoying." He then yawned, rubbing at his eyes sleepily.

The same glint from earlier appeared in the girl trainer's eyes. "Oh, really? Well in that case ..." May slammed her pillow into Brendan several more times, laughing.

Brendan, annoyed, finally caught the pillow after May's fourth swing and looked into her eyes, their faces inches apart. "Will you stop?" he said in a soft whisper, surprising the girl.

"Uh ..." May caught her breath and tore her eyes away from Brendan's, flustered. She felt her cheeks burning as she pulled away. "Right." Straightening her body out, May took two big steps back to her side of the room and began to make her bed, running her fingers down the smooth, clean linen. "Well, hurry up and get ready. We told Mr. Briney we'd be at the docks bright and early, remember?"

Brendan let out a tired groan and stood up, his bunched up slacks straightening out into small bumps and wrinkles. Scratching disgustingly underneath his armpit (a motion that May cringed and turned her away from), he bent down, grabbed his backpack, and headed out of the room they rented at the pokémon center, nonchalantly walking to the bathroom, whistling a small tune to himself. Meanwhile, May shakily clipped her pokenav back to her fanny pack strap and sat back down on her bed, the bed springs creaking in protest. Then, sighing, she flopped back over, stands of brown hair spreading across the clean linen. What the heck was that about? Why did she get flustered around him?

"Don't you even dare think about it, May," she thought out loud. "Don't forget he's a jerk. A sexist, name-forgetting, sleeps-too-close-to-you jerk."

* * *

"You take longer in the bathroom than most girls do, Brendan. Does that make you proud?"

May smiled slyly as Brendan glowered at her as the two half-walked, half-ran to the docks, sand filling up their shoes. May curled her toes, feeling the soft dirt even with her socks on. Both huffing, the two stepped onto the docks, sand gritting underneath their feet. Mr. Briney was already on his boat, leaning against the railing and watching the waves lightly lap up against his boat before pushing themselves away. A chirp from Peeko made him look up, noticing the two trainers panting for breath.

"I'm sorry we're late," May breathed out. "Girlfriend over here," she nudged Brendan's arm with her elbow, "took awhile to get ready."

"Be quiet," snapped Brendan.

"Aw. So sorry. Don't PMS over it, though."

"PMS? What is that?"

Mr. Briney, luckily, broke their conversation before May could answer. "Now I suppose you're heading toward Slateport to deliver those Devon Goods to Captain Stern, right? Ah, that Captain Stern is such a fine captain. He in fact reminds me of my youth back when I was a captain myself ..." He dazed into thought for a moment and then snapped out of it when Peeko pecked on his bald head. "I'm sorry. I'm getting off topic. Are you two ready to go?"

The two trainers looked at each other before nodding their heads in unison.

"Then anchors aweigh! Peeko, we're setting sail, my darling! Slateport it is!" Mr. Briney cheered, Peeko flying around everyone's heads a few times before landing on his shoulder. May walked up the ramp first, followed by Brendan, and Mr. Briney pulled it back up before heading toward the stern of the boat to start it up. May gripped the steel railing of the boat and looked back fondly at Dewford City, lit up and glowing in all of morning's glory. It was still a little too early for anyone to be relaxing on the beach, though she had a feeling Brawly was out there catching a morning surf ... without a shirt on. Oh, latias, those muscles ...

"Yeah, okay, snap out of it," Brendan muttered, snapping his fingers in front of May's drooling, dazed face. The boat began to pull forward, and Brendan instantly crumpled toward the floor, clutching at his stomach. May rolled her eyes and squatted next to her companion, picking up one of his hands. Her soft hands straightened out Brendan's own before slapping it against his ear.

"Uh ...?" Brendan looked at her, confused, but kept his hand there anyway as May released him from her grip.

"It helps. Trust me," she replied, almost slipping onto her rear as the boat went over a particularly large wave. She pressed her hands against the side of the boat to maintain her balance, staring at Brendan who's eyes were already beginning to look glazed over. "My family went on a few cruises from Johto to Kanto, and I saw people doing that sometimes. They say it helps with seasickness."

"How?"

"I don't know. Something about balancing the liquids near the ear so they don't move?"

"I have a feeling you're making me do this just to make me look stupid."

"You're cute, B Boy. You know you don't need my help with that." Smiling as Brendan groaned at her response, she stood back up, enjoying the cold, sea breeze that blew against her face. A couple of heart-shaped pokémon swam near the boat, and if she peered hard enough, she could make out a couple of tentacool floating along with the tide underneath the waves. One of the heart-shaped pokémon jumped out of the water, drops of water glistening on her fins, before landing back into the water. She then looked up, noticing corroding ship filled with rusty holes. May could smell the scent of wet rust mixed in with the salty breeze.

"Ooh, what's that, Mr. Briney?" May pointed excitedly to the ship, curious.

The old man looked up from the boat's steering reel to look to the side as well. "Ah, that's the S.S. Anne. One of the first major ships that Hoenn ever had" he answered. "Sailed like a dream, that it did. People believed that it was the ship that never sank, but they were proved wrong when the ship hit an iceberg and sank that one fateful day. Many of the ones that couldn't get into lifeboats died because of the bone chilling water."

"Sounds like the Titanic to me," Brendan muttered, one hand still over his ear. Even though his symptoms weren't as bad as a few days ago, he still felt his stomach churning his granola bar angrily. "Besides, Hoenn isn't cold enough to get icebergs."

"Is it? I always get the S.S. Anne story and the Titanic story mixed up," Mr. Briney replied thoughtfully, as he slowly turned the steering wheel. The glimmering sand of Slateport's beach came into view. "But I do know that scientists have risen it up from its watery grave to study it. It's also quite the tourist attraction." The old man slowed the boat down as he pulled into Slateport's docks, lowering the ramp down. "Well, we're here. Good luck to the both of you, and feel free to drop by and visit if you're ever in the Petalburg area again!"

"Thanks so much, Mr. Briney! Hope to see you soon!" May gave the old captain a hug, surprising him, before letting go and helping Brendan onto his feet and down the ramp. She released him from her grip, and the boy half walked, half stumbled down the dock onto the sand, tripping and falling flat.

"Look at all the torchics," she heard him mutter as Mr. Briney started the engine of his boat and pulled back into the sea. She turned around and waved for awhile before focusing her attention on Brendan who was now kissing the hot sand.

"Oh latias; get up." May pulled on the back of Brendan's backpack, pulling him back to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered groggily, wiping sweat off his forehead. He then ran his hands down his clothes, brushing grains of sand off it. "All right. Slateport is a huge city, so we better start looking for Captain Stern now."

May and Brendan trudged along the sandy beach, the seaside city of Slateport up ahead, shining in the morning light. A huge lighthouse, painted red and white, towered over the smaller, steel buildings of the city, and the streets were empty, too early for anyone to be out and about. The merchandisers were setting up their stands in outdoor market place, and the streetlights were decorated with balloons and streamers, enticing the flood of tourists that were bound to come. As the duo stepped up the stone steps up the street, they noticed that several larger boats were docked to the side, bobbing gently in the ocean current.

"Let's start looking there."

Brendan looked at where May pointed and rolled his eyes; it was a pokédoll stand.

"Captain Stern wouldn't be there," he murmured.

"Aw, sure he would." May darted ahead toward Brendan and entered the outdoor market, making the merchandisers look at her oddly. She stopped in front of the booth selling pokédolls and gazed at them admirably, gently running a finger down the frame of a pichu doll. "So cute." She then looked back and forth and nodded. "You're right; he's not here."

Brendan, who chased after her, shook his head. "No way."

"Yes way. Aren't you surprised?"

"Yes, very. I thought a man well into his thirties or forties and is well established in the marine and boating field would always be hanging around pokédolls shops. I am very, very surprised."

"Me too, but it was worth the trip in my opinion."

Brendan nodded. "Ah, yes, very – ugh! Enough sarcasm!" He lightly grabbed May by the shoulders and turned her around. "See that brown building up ahead?"

May squinted her eyes, looking past smaller shops. Her eyes landed on a tall, square building that lacked windows and was left unpainted, its brown, rusty steel walls shining in the sun. She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"That's the shipping yard. It's likely that he's there." He headed in that direction, May following him.

"I bet he's not," May murmured, crossing her arms, a slight stomp in her step.

"Oh, really?" Brendan raised an eyebrow, turning his head a bit to look at the girl. "And what do I win if he is there?"

"I'll stop hitting you when you're asleep."

"... You should stop doing that anyway." His response was received with a sock to the arm. "Ugh, fine."

May smirked. "And if I win, you're going to give me enough money to buy a pokédoll. And a good one, too, not one of those lame key chain plushies."

"Whatever. It won't happen, though, because he's going to be there."

"Sure, sure."

* * *

"What do you mean he's not here?" Brendan demanded, asking a man behind a wooden desk.

"I'm sorry, but Captain Stern is not here right now," the man repeated. He tapped his pencil against the blueprints that were laid out in front of him before writing something to the side. "I don't know where he is."

May nudged Brendan with her elbow, and Brendan, begrudgingly, fished around in his pockets and pulled out several bills, counted them before handing it over to May. "Is he at least in the city?"

"Probably." The man looked up, readjusting the glasses on his face. "Probably at the docks, or maybe at the museum. He put a lot of research into that museum."

"Thanks," May replied as she put Brendan's money in her bag and skipped out the door, Brendan trudging behind. They exited the shipyard and stopped in front of it, looking around. "Now what?"

Brendan was busy looking inside his wallet, rather the emptiness of it. Another nudge to his shoulder caught his attention. "Please stop doing that."

"Why?" May poked him again. "You didn't win the bet."

"Whatever."

"Really, B Boy. Now what?"

The two walked down the hot asphalt streets of the city and turned around the corner, gazing up at the building ahead. The building wasn't as tall as the shipyard but just as long. It was quite fancy – large marble pillars stood tall near the entrance, and the doors were refined, trimmed with silver and lavishly decorated with carvings of fancy swirls. Hedges were finely trimmed, bordering the building, and the windows, clean and tinted, reflected the bright sunlight.

"The museum, I suppose." Brendan shrugged as the two walked toward it. He pulled on the silver handle of the museum's door and let May enter first, quickly following suit. The door swished closed behind them as the two observed the contents within. There were different exhibits, of course, discussing and displaying several aspects of the ocean, from the waves to the sand. What really caught Brendan and May's attention, though, were several people clad in black and red suits.

"Aren't those–"

"Yeah," Brendan interrupted in a hushed voice. "Team Magma agents. No idea why they're here, though."

"Hello, and welcome to the Oceanic Museum!" the receptionist said cheerfully as if Team Magma waltzed in everyday. "Please enjoy yourselves!"

Brendan and May nodded and walked past the reception desk, not alarming the Team Magma agents that seemed more interested in the exhibits than actually causing havoc. It might have to do with how peaceful the place was; the building was painted a light blue and the ceiling fans circled a pleasant air throughout the museum.

"Do you think they're trying to learn about the ocean or something? And why?" May whispered into Brendan's ear.

The boy only shrugged, an exhibit catching his interest. It was an display about water cyclones, and to example it, the museum built a tall, glass pillar with water in it. The water swirled and twirled in a makeshift whirlpool. Brendan pressed his forehead and fingers against the cold glass, watching the water. "That's cool ..." he remarked, his eyes swirling with the water.

"Brendan," May groaned, dragging Brendan upstairs much to his dismay. "C'mon. Maybe there's more Team Magma agents upstairs. Or even Captain Stern."

As the two trainers reached the top floor, they didn't see any Team Magma members but a middle-aged man dressed in a lab coat who was staring at a miniature model of a ship. The man felt someone's presence with him, so he looked up and turned his head over his shoulder.

"Oh, hello. It's refreshing to see such young folk visiting the museum. And at such an early time, too." The man pulled back the sleeve of his lab coat and checked his watch, chuckling to himself. "And who might you two be?"

Brendan and May glanced at each other. "Well, I'm Brendan, and this is my friend, May!" Brendan explained. "We're sorry to interrupt you ... um–"

"Ah, I apologize; I should have introduced myself first. I'm Mr. Stern. Well, Captain Stern, rather."

"Captain Stern?" Brendan asked in surprise. He sidestepped before could May could nudge him again as he unzipped his backpack and fished out the brown paper box that contained whatever item the Devon Corporation president gave him. "So if you're Captain Stern, you must be expecting something from Mr. Devon, right?"

The captain nodded. "That's correct. I suppose you're that delivery boy that he called me about."

Brendan ignored May's snicker and handed Captain Stern the package. "Here you go then."

"I'm glad it got here in one piece." Captain Stern gripped the box tightly to his chest. "You see, I'm in charge of building a new submarine, and this part from the Devon Corporation will help. The president of Devon Corporations tells me that Team Magma is after it, though. I wonder why."

"Quite correct," muttered a voice behind Brendan and May, making May squeak in fear. The two trainers separated from each other and turned around to look at where the voice came from. Their separation revealed two figures clad in the black and red suits of Team Magma, their hoods thrown over their heads. "And if you know what's good for you, you better give us that package. We need it more."

"Spoke too soon?" Captain Stern said meekly. He hid the package underneath the folds of his lab coat. "Please," he whispered to the bewildered Brendan and May. "You can't let them take this package. I beg of you."

"All guys beg us to protect that package," May muttered with an eye roll.

Fumbling with a pokéball on his belt, Brendan shakily declared, "If you want that package, you'll have to get through us first!"

"That can be arranged." One of the Team Magma grunts enlarged a pokéball and released the pokémon within, a snarling poochyena that stomped the rough, carpeted floor. "Poochyena, get that package back!"

The poochyena growled and ran toward the two trainers, his teeth bared. He managed to push his way through Brendan's and May's legs, almost making them trip, and was about to pounce on the wide-eyed Captain Stern when something sticky caught his leg and made him stop. He turned around, eyes narrowed, and noticed the sticky, white string that held him back was connected a wurmple. May's wurmple to be precise.

"Great job, Cherry!" May cheered. "Now pull 'em back!"

Cherry obeyed and tugged, dragging the poochyena backward much to his protest. The canine tried his best to fight back, clawing at the floor, and his strength soon overpowered the wurmple, pulling her toward him instead. The wurmple let out a cry of distress, wiggling as she tried to resist.

"Zubat, let's go!" The other Team Magma grunt released his own pokémon, a bat pokémon that flapped his wings as he took to the air, the flapping resounding through the room. He let out several biting noises, revealing his sharp fangs. "Attack that wurmple!"

"Help her out, Silver!" Brendan released his nincada in flash of white light. "Cut that string shot and use scratch when the zubat is in close range!"

Silver scurried over to the bug in distressed and cut off the line that connected the poochyena to the wurmple. He then turned around and raised a claw, swiping at the zubat as he swooped down. Zubat let out a loud cry of distress, and he took to the air again.

"Poison sting on the poochyena, Cherry!" May ordered.

The wurmple lifted her top half and opened her mouth a little, revealing a sharp, purple dart. She shot it at the poochyena, and the dart dug itself into the canine's fur, making it howl. He sat on his back legs and bit and clawed at where he was hit, desperately trying to pull out the poisonous dart. Then, suddenly, the poochyena began to tremble and pulled his head back, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and fatigue. His vicious snarl was quickly replaced with a whimpering cry, and his eyes began to water.

"C'mon," the Team Magma agent urged. "Get up and fight!"

Poochyena ignored his trainer, too tired to comply.

"What the hell is taking you two?" yelled a voice from the staircase, making both the grunts jump in place.

"Crap," said the other Team Magma agent as he returned his zubat. "Maxie is going to kill us, isn't he?"

"What's taking you so long from getting the goods?" the same voice asked again, this time much louder. Heavy stomps pounded the staircase, and from the entrance emerged an older man well into his twenties or thirties. Despite his heavy stomps, he walked with an air of sophistication, his shoulders back and his head lifted. Much like the grunts he was angrily staring at, he was dressed in red and black, but his dress pants were much crisper, and his shirt was long and had no hood. He made the two grunts move with a shift of his hand and came face to face with the two trainers, his cold, calculating eyes glaring at them.

The man turned back over his shoulder, scoffing. "Two little kids are the ones stalling you? Pathetic!"

"We're s-sorry, M-maxie," quivered one of the agents. "We t-tried."

"Enough of your excuses," muttered the man called Maxie. He then turned back Brendan and May, sneering. "And who are you two?"

"I'm not sure if that's any of your business," coolly replied Brendan as May bent over and scooped up her wurmple in her arms, hugging it to her chest.

Maxie let out a small laugh. "I suppose that is true. I do recognize you, though. You're the son of Professor Birch, Brendan, aren't you? I am Maxie, however, leader of the glorious Team Magma. You do know who we are, don't you?"

Brendan looked at May before answering. "Yeah. You're that group that's researching how to create more land for habitat, right?"

"Correct, young man. We wish to benefit both pokémon and humans, and in creating new land, perhaps we'll create new species of pokémon." Maxie put his arms behind his back, smirking a little. "Now why would someone want to stop us from doing that?"

"Stealing is wrong," May murmured quietly, her eyes cast toward the floor.

Maxie looked from Brendan to May. "I suppose that is true, young lady. And who might you be?"

"May," she answered, still not looking up.

"May, huh?" Maxie repeated, blinking twice. He then looked at Brendan, smiling. "Keep hold of this May, Brendan. She's got a good head on her shoulders." The Team Magma leader turned around, and the two grunts immediately stood up straight, saluting him. "Come, you both. There's no need for the submarine parts anymore. That plan is obsolete. Good day, Brendan ... May." He nodded at Captain Stern. "Captain."

The Team Magma leader and his followed quickly descended the stairs, neither of the two trainers or Captain Stern following them. The air was tense, thick enough to be cut with a knife, until Captain Stern cleared his throat and mumbled, "Thank you, both." He ruffled the brown paper that covered the box that contained the parts. "I'm not sure what I would have done without you."

"Don't worry about it," May murmured, her voice laced lightly with fear. She clutched Cherry closer to her chest as Brendan returned his nincada. "I'm just glad things worked out." The girl turned toward Brendan, her eyes filled with worry. "Should we do something? Call the police? Something?"

"They really didn't do anything, May," Brendan muttered, putting his hands behind his head.

"They battled us!"

"Battling isn't illegal, May."

"But ... but they tried to take the parts!"

"They didn't, though."

May wrung her hands in distress. "So they're just going to get away with that?"

"Justice will be served, May. Eventually," Captain Stern reassured her. "No one can get away with injustice for long. Even then, we're not even search if Team Magma is trying to do anything wrong. They've been very beneficial to the community. They cleaned up the beaches, and they had some of the best scientists studying Hoenn's terrain for them."

The girl let out a quiet whimper as she returned Cherry into her pokéball. "Still ..."

Brendan clapped May on the back. "Don't worry about it, May. Now let's go watch that water cyclone again."

"Ugh, Brendan."

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Weird way to end a chapter, I know, but I was getting tired of writing this. Time to figure out who's the 100th reviewer!

Ah, I see it's ... Lilpenpal or The Card Witch. Congratulations! (throws another dose of confetti) If you want something that you want in the story, just say it in a review and stuff.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last revision: 6/28/09**


	16. Brandon and Wallace

I'm in a bad mood right now. I wasn't before, but now I am.

Muddy: Oh, ignore her. She never is mad. It's kind of scary really.

That I don't get mad often?

Muddy: Uh, duh?

Anyway, um, sorry if that last chapter sucked hard, but I had homework and I needed that next chapter out! So I'll try to make this chapter good. Hope you guys like this chapter!

Muddy: It's time for the eagerly awaited chapter when Brendan and May finally meet up with-

(_covers Muddy's mouth_) No one special.

Muddy:_ (gets mouth out_) Literally. Well, depends on how you look at this chapter. If you know me, Muddy still by the way, I'm plotting something against-

Yet again, too much info there.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

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**"****Brandon" and "Wallace"**

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"... So I named my electrike Thunderbolt! Is that a good name or what?" May asked, marveling over her newly captured pokémon she caught earlier that day.

"Yeah, whatever." Brendan waved her comment off as the duo sat on a bench, Brendan watching the busy sight in front of him while May shined her newly caught pokémon's pokéball on her shirt, marveling as it glinted in the sun.

After several days of recuperating in Slateport and traveling the long stretch of rough road, Brendan and May finally made it to the bustling city of Mauville. City shops were just beginning to open, welcoming the sunlight as its first customer. Citizens walk down the asphalt streets, window shopping. A kid no older than Brendan and May zoomed by on a bike he recently bought from Rydel's Bike Shop, heading toward the dark and grungy game corner which was, obviously, shoved in the corner of the town. May just recently caught an electrike, a small, electric pokémon with a tough exterior (May, like always, marveled over how it cute it was, though). On the other hand, Brendan just captured ... heck, he captured nothing.

"Since we're in Mauville, we can get our second badge," May remarked absentmindedly, clipping Thunderbolt's pokéball to her belt.

"Third," Brendan corrected, putting his hands behind his neck and leaning back.

"Oh. Wait, no; I meant second. Then we'll have another one! That's what I meant." The girl smiled merrily and held onto the bench, swinging her legs back and forth. She pointed her head toward the sky and gazed at it, getting lost within the deep blue, her mind trying to put together what shape the clouds looked like.

Brendan turned his head and couldn't help but smile as the pure wonderment that dawned May's face. "I'm sure you did," he replied, looking up as well. After awhile, he got bored and jumped onto his feet, stretching. "Well, I'm off to the gym! See you!"

"Now wait just a minute!" May yelled, stopping Brendan in his tracks. "You went first last time, so I get to go first this time. Got it?"

"Oh, come on, May," Brendan whined as the two walked toward the gym. "Remember last time when I got to battle first? Didn't that help you?"

"You got us lost and _I_ was the one that found Brawly after all that."

"And this is why I should battle first," he argued. "That way I can redeem myself."

"Whatever." May tore her eyes away from Brendan's arrogant form and looked toward the gym instead. The gym was pretty plain albeit the lightning bolt that was painted on the walls. Other than that, it didn't stick out apart from the other buildings; it actually blended in, and it was almost hard to tell that it was the gym without reading the sign in front. Her eyes landed on two people that stood in front of the glass doors of the gym. One was an older man, balding a bit and chubby around the middle. The other was a younger boy, probably around Brendan and May's age, with thick, green hair. May immediately recognized him and squealed in delight.

"What?" asked Brendan, raising an eyebrow.

"Look! It's Wally!" May screamed merrily. She pointed at the boy standing near the gym, and Brendan immediately recognize the kid's green hair and green eyes to match. He was wearing a white button up shirt with the collar popped up and light brown pants. "I haven't seen him in like ... forever!" she gushed.

"It's only been like a few weeks or so, but whatever. Oh joy. Wally," Brendan murmured sarcastically to himself, reluctantly following the very eccentric May to where Wally and the older man standing with him.

Truth be told, Brendan was being immature. He knew it, too, but didn't want to admit it. He still couldn't get over the fact that this ... this twit monkey never thanked him for all the hard work he did. Pointing at the ralts, telling him to throw a pokéball at it ... such hard work! And yet he thanked May who stood there and whined about not being afraid of the dark which was not true; she still clung to him whenever the entered somewhere dark. Dammit, he was going to be bitter, and dammit, he better not be asked why.

"But Uncle! I can beat the gym leader here!" the two overheard Wally cry to his uncle, wringing his hands together. "When me and my ralts team up, we're indestructible! Didn't you see us battle those roselia earlier, Uncle? Didn't you think we did well?"

Brendan couldn't help but roll his eyes at this as the two stood near Wally and his uncle. This kid could barely handle battling a zigzagoon. No way in hell could it battle a roselia, a beautiful but dangerous pokémon, let alone a bunch of them.

The green-haired trainer's eyes darted from his uncle's to the two trainers walking toward him. "M-May?" he stuttered in disbelief. "Is that you?"

"No. She's just a figment of your imagination," muttered Brendan quietly, crossing his arms.

May turned her head sharply and glared at Brendan before responding. "Hey, Wally!" May smiled warmly, greeting the boy. "I haven't seen you for awhile!" She then approached him and gave him a tight hug, bewildering him.

"It's nice to see you, May." He grinned and released the girl from his grasp, his hand jumping to the back of his neck to wipe off sweat.

She gave the boy a quick look up and down. "You're looking so much better! I suppose that Verdanturf's air is really helping your condition, right?"

Wally nodded, smiling wider. "That and my ralts is really inspiring me to push myself to get better. I haven't felt this great in such a long time." He spread his arms above his head and stretched before dropping them, his hand slapping against his thighs.

"Oh, I got your video message by the way!"

Brendan's eyes widened for a moment, but no one noticed. He completely forgot about that message. That Wally kid better keep his mouth shut if he knows what's good for him.

Wally smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh really? Uh ... What do you think of it?"

May's smile turned from happiness to puzzlement. "Of what? Y our message was ... uh, good if that's what you mean."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "I mean the end of it."

Brendan glared daggers at the poor green-haired boy, but he didn't notice it. Again, he better keep that trap of his shut.

"The end?" May asked curiously.

Wally shook his head and smiled again. "Never mind," he replied. "It wasn't important." Turning his head a little, he finally noticed that bitter, arrogant trainer that May traveled with. What was his name again? Brendan? Or was it Brandon? Nah, he was positive it was Brendan. Poking him about it seemed to get him riled up if he remembered correctly.

"Brandon! Good to see you, old buddy!" Wally exclaimed in an over exaggerated tone, smiling falsely as he reached out to shake Brendan's hand. "Very good indeed!"

Brendan returned the hand shake, crushing Wally's hand a bit too hard that usual. Now things were personal; he was positive that Wally got his name wrong on purpose. Two can play at that game. "Wallace! How are you doing? Great to see you again, too! Really great!"

"Oh, I'm fine, _Brandon_!" Wally emphasized on the "Brandon" part. "But how are you doing?" Like Brendan, he clenched harder on the handshake.

"Just fine and dandy even though that sounds so corny, Wallace!" Brendan and Wally forced out a laugh while still having a death grip match. "How's life going in Verdanturf Town? Good I hope."

"It's good! Don't worry!" Wally squeezed harder on Brendan's hand.

"So _good _to know," Brendan said through clenched teeth now, his own smile fading.

"I know," Wally replied, his smile turning into a scowl. He was now using all his might to turn Brendan's hand blue.

"Don't we all!" Brendan frowned, too, concentrating on the death grip match.

A hand settled on top of the pair of clenched fists. "Okay, I think you both are all hand shaken out," May stated as the two boys gave each other a quick glare before smiling at the bandanna-wearing girl.

Wally's uncle, who looked at the two boy's in amusement, said, "Hey! We don't we all go to my house in Verdanturf Town? I'm sure Wally would like that. Wouldn't you, Wally?" He looked at Wally, and the boy nodded.

"Sounds like fun!" May replied. She, too, sensed the tension but she didn't know what it was about.

"You two go ahead." Wally gestured his head down the path toward the grassy town of Verdanturf. "I need to have a little chat with my buddy Brandon over here. We'll catch up with you later, okay?"

May and Wally's uncle shot each other nervous glances before heading back to Verdanturf Town. Brendan and Wally smiled and waved them off until they were out of eye view. That's when the fun started.

"Brendan, isn't it?" began Wally, looking Brendan up and down, his arms crossed. "I'm surprised that May had put up with you for so long with you and that unpleasant attitude of yours."

"Wally," Brendan replied, a taint of dislike in his voice. "You're just plain unpleasant."

"You like May, don't you?" Wally asked, glaring daggers at Brendan, who was startled a bit. "That's why you're still around her, huh?"

"What's it to you?" Brendan asked back, shooting Wally his own icy stare. "I know you do."

Wally raised an eyebrow, confused. "How?"

Brendan smirked, waving his finger tauntingly. "Got your message before May even saw it. Don't worry, though; most of it got recorded over."

"Isn't that just like you? So rude, having no respect for anyone except yourself."

"They tell me that nice boys finish last. Besides, you're not exactly a 'nice' boy yourself. You may be around May, but that's just an act isn't it? Or is this an act? Are you acting like a tough guy?" Brendan poked Wally in the chest, and he stumbled back a bit, but he quickly regained his composure. "Well?"

Wally ignored his question and asked his own. "Well, do you?"

"I don't. She an annoying little girl that has to tag along me with because my dad said so," Brendan replied, folding his arms across his chest. "And either way, I really don't think that's any of your concern."

"Good," Wally simply replied, nodding. "She's my girl after all."

The white-haired trainer let out a laugh at this. "Excuse me, Wally? What was that? Your girl?"

"That's right, Birch. _My _girl."

"Go ahead and tell May that. Tell me how she takes it. She'll probably just laugh." Brendan pointed his nose up haughtily, angering the green-haired trainer in front of him more.

"Must you do that? Must you act so arrogant?"

"Why not?" Brendan argued. "I have every right to be. I'm a damn good trainer."

"Ah, really now?" Wally pulled out a pokéball and held it out at arm's length. "Prove it then. Battle me."

"Oh, Wally." Brendan clucked his tongue and shook his head. "I don't want to embarrass you."

"You won't. I'll beat you and it'll prove to my uncle that not only am I able to handle battling Wattson but that I'm also ready to start my own journey! Why? Are you scared?"

Brendan called Wally's bluff. "Fine. I'll battle you, but it won't be pretty. Not for you anyway." Pulling out his own pokéball, Brendan enlarged it, pressed his closed fist against his chin before throwing the ball toward the ground. The ball released Brendan's faithful starter, a yawning marshtomp that rubbed at his eyes and looked at Wally wearily.

Wally did the same, releasing the ball in his grasp. The creature from within burst through, revealing Wally's first captured pokémon, a capture that he never thanked Brendan for as Brendan was quick to remember. "Ralts, Confusion!" he commanded.

Ralts raised her arms, engulfing them in purple light, thrusting her arms forward. The light engulfed Muddy's taller, chubbier form, and the ralts raised her arms, lifting the marshtomp with it. She then moved her arms quickly, and Muddy was thrown against the "Welcome to Mauville!" sign. Brendan's pokémon groaned, getting back on his feet, doubled over and rubbing at his back.

"Muddy, Mud Shot!" Brendan ordered. Muddy took in a deep breath of air and shot sticky, wet mud at the psychic pokémon. Ralts took the hit, thrusting her thin arms in front of her in attempt to block the mud. She skid back a bit, kicking up dirt but was still strong enough to battle.

"Use Confuse Ray, Ralts!" Wally instructed. Ralts' eyes turned a rather violent shade of red, dazing Muddy out. Muddy held a paw to his head and stumbled around, his eyes glazed over.

"Concentrate, Muddy!" Brendan directed, wringing his hands together. "Try a Water Gun!" Muddy eyes were glazed over but he still managed to focus for a bit and aim a jet of water at the ralts. It would have hit her if she didn't teleport out of the way, appearing a few feet away from the stream of water.

"Ralts! Confusion again!" Wally commanded. On the outside he look confident – at least he thought he looked confident. But on the inside it felt like a swarm of beautiflys were laying their eggs in his stomach and then those eggs were hatching.

Ralts, like the last time, glowed a purple color before shooting the purple light at Muddy, engulfing him in mythical energy. This time, Ralts sent Muddy up and slammed him back down into the ground with a rough thud, kicking up a cloud of dust that surrounded the water type. Muddy managed to break free from the telekinetic hold, flopping on his belly. He pushed himself up, gasping for breath.

"Hang in there, Muddy! Focus and use Bide!" Brendan ordered. Muddy, paws on his knees, stood up straight and clenched his fists, his bright, orange eyes glowing an eerie yellow. Energy radiated from his body, pulsing, making the pebbles below him shake.

"Attack while he's charging! Use Psywave!" Wally directed. Ralts cried her name, and different colored beams shot out of her body and came flying toward Muddy who had no choice but to take the hit. Muddy was thrown backwards, but he was still was concentrating his energy, his eyes closed as if he were in a deep trance.

"That's it, Muddy. Concentrate ... When the time is right ..." Brendan muttered under his breath.

"Ralts, use Confusion! Get him to not store anymore energy!" Wally commanded.

Brendan's eyes widened. This was the attack that would finish Ralts off. If Muddy stop concentrating, his Bide would be too weak and by the time Muddy gets to attack again, Ralts could easily knock him out. He couldn't lose to this ... to this weakling. No way in hell.

Ralts, once again, engulfed Muddy in purple light and sent him crashing into a nearby fence. Muddy broke the fence in half, splintering it, sending up clouds of dust and dirt. It was the moment of truth. When the dust cleared, they would all know who will win this battle. The clouds of dust settled back down into the ground, and Brendan's eyes widened once again. Muddy has red energy radiating out of him, the energy causing a strange disturbance in the air.

"All right, Muddy!" Brendan cheered. "Finish him off with your Bide now!" Muddy ran at full pace toward the ralts and collided into her, the energy quickly being drained from his body. The energy crackled and engulfed Wally's pokémon, making her sizzle and screech in agony. Ralts skid back, yards away from where the battlefield was, and finally crashed into a wall, fainting.

"Ah! Ralts!" Wally cried worriedly, running to his pokémon and cradling her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth, murmuring something to her in a soothing voice.

"Yeah! We won, Mud Boy!" Brendan gave Muddy's tail fin a high five.

"Who rocks?" Muddy yelled triumphantly.

"You know we do!" Brendan shouted to the world proudly. "Too bad May didn't see Wally lose! That would have been perfect!"

"You have won this battle, but the war is just getting warmed up!" Wally said, returning his ralts to his Pokéball for her to rest.

"Why does everyone say that to me when I kick their butt?" Brendan asked, smirking once again, returning Muddy to his pokéball, too.

Wally simply shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you? Confidence is one thing, cockiness is another. One day it's going to bite you in the butt."

Brendan shook in mock fear.

"Whatever, Brandon. I warned you." Wally turned around and began to walk back toward Verdanturf. "But mark my words. I will beat you. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow. But I will. And you're going to eat your words."

* * *

**Last Revision: 6/29/09**


	17. Shocking, Isn't It?

In case you're an old reader and went all o.O at seeing a new chapter, yes, I did write something up quick to replace an older chapter. It pretty much is just May battling Wattson. No idea why there is no chapter of either Brendan or May battling Wattson. Oh well. What's done is done. Enjoy!

* * *

**Shocking, Isn't It?**

**

* * *

**

"I can't believe you went ahead and battled the gym leader without me! Er, before me!"

The boy walking next to the storming girl trainer merely shrugged, turning his head slightly. "Does it really matter?" Brendan questioned, shoving his hands within the folds of his pockets and looking up in wonderment. He kicked a stone across the asphalt streets of Mauville, enjoying the scattering noise it created. "It's not like you don't get to battle Wattson or something."

"But I was suppose to go first," she continued to whine, stopping in her tracks to stomp her foot. She then skipped a bit to catch up with Brendan. "Don't you get the pattern? Me first, then you, then me, then you, and so on!"

"Stop being such a baby." Brendan rested his hand on the doorknob of the gym, turning around to look at May. "Fine. From now on, I'll let you battle the gym leader first. Happy?"

May nodded. "Yes."

The boy trainer pushed open the door, letting May walk in before closing the door behind him. Before he left to go to Wally's house, Brendan decided to challenge the gym leader of Mauville city, a jolly old man who specialized in electric pokémon. It was only until two days later when Brendan decided to tell May that not only did he challenge Wattson but also won, gaining the dynamo badge. As he predicted, May was not pleased – well, not pleased that she didn't get to challenge Wattson first.

May curiously stared at a pair of pillars with glass orbs on top of them. Some sort of metal rod was in the middle of orb, spouting bolts of electricity. The whole gym, despite its shabby appearance outside, was bright and cheery, the walls painted a golden yellow and the lights cranked up to a high power, contrasting with the dark, gloomy gym of Brawly's. As the two descended down that path that lead to Wattson and the battlefield, May noticed the trainees that lined up the side, looking up from the electric pokémon they were tending to to stare at her instead. The lights that bordered the path turned on when she passed them.

Brendan pointed to the battlefield and the trainer's box, and May, nodding, walked forward without her friend, entering the trainer's box. She watched as one of the trainees returned the minun he was petting and ran toward Wattson's room, entering it. The girl gulped back nerves as a chubby, old man appeared from the doorway, pulling at the sleeves of his thick, brown jacket. He was jolly looking – eccentric, really – as he waddled over toward the field, letting out a loud hearty chuckle. It made May smile; he reminded her of her grandfather.

"Welcome, welcome!" the gym leader greeted warmly, raising his arms. One of his hands made its way to his head, rubbing the baldness of it before running his fingers through the small patch of white hair he had left. "It's quite refreshing to see such young, promising talent here today! And who might you be, young lady?"

May couldn't help but smile wider. "I'm May!"

"May," he repeated. "I am Wattson, leader of Mauville gym! I take great pride not only in this gym, but the entire Mauville community!" Wattson let out another loud chortle as he got out a pokéball from his pocket. "Are you ready to battle, young May?"

May nodded eagerly, getting out her own pokéball. "Ready when you are, Wattson!"

Wattson beckoned one of his trainees to judge the match, and the trainee ran over to the side of the field, one flag in each hand. "This battle will be a two vs. two battle! No time limit! The challenger is allowed to switch pokémon at any time while the gym leader cannot!" Looking at Wattson, and then May, the trainee waved his flags. "And begin!"

"All right, Cherry! Show your stuff!" May shouted, throwing the ball in her hand toward the rocky battlefield. In an explosion of bright light, the wiggly form of May's wurmple appeared, looking around the electric gym in wonder.

"I choose you, Electrike!" Wattson chose his first pokémon, a green, dog-like pokémon with a crest-shaped head. He wagged his sharp, pointed tail, jolts of electricity crackling in his short fur. "I will let you have the first move, May."

May nodded and pointed a finger straight ahead. "All right, Cherry, start things off with Poison Sting!"

The wurmple reeled up and shot out a purple dart toward the electrike, the dart hitting the electric type's cheek. The dart didn't embed itself into his skin, but the effects still took place. Electrike stumbled around a bit, his eyes glossy as the poison began to sink into his veins.

"Tackle!" commanded Wattson, his jolly smile turning into a determined one.

Electrike let out a small yelp and lowered his crest-shaped head, darting over toward the wide-eyed wurmple. Snorting, the electrike's head contacted with the worm's, sending it flying backward. She landed with a thump, twitching as she got back onto her legs, the expression of her face clearly an angry one. And then, suddenly, white light engulfed the worm, her wormy form twisting and shaping itself into an oval-shaped one.

"What's happening?" May murmured, the glow from Cherry reflecting in her bright, blue eyes.

"She's evolving," Brendan whispered from the sidelines, though May couldn't hear him.

As the light died down, May could made out the form of her newly evolved pokémon. She was covered in white silk, though it looked hard, and there was a gap in the hard cocoon where Cherry's beady red eyes were. She stayed stationary, her eyes widening themselves at the sudden transformation.

"Cherry, you evolved! Into a silcoon!" May cheered, pumping a fist in the air. She then clapped her hands together, gasping. "That means I'll get a beautifly! Omigosh, omigosh!"

"Congratulations, May!" complimented Wattson. "Are you ready to continue our battle, though?"

"Oh!" May rubbed the back of her neck, smiling nervously. "Of course!" Determined smile back on, May ordered, "Cherry, tackle!"

It was ineffective – rather, Cherry couldn't move to obey the command albeit shaking back and forth a little.

"Spark!" ordered Wattson.

Electrive quivered a little, the poison from Cherry's earlier attack zapping at his strength, as he darted toward the unmoving silcoon, his fur crackling with electricity. Snarling, he rammed his body into the bug's, bolts of lightning jumping from his body toward Cherry's. The silcoon didn't let out any noise, but May could tell that the attack was devastating for her.

"Try Harden!" May commanded. The girl remembered that a bug pokémon, while in their cocoon form, couldn't do much except harden their shell.

Cherry closed her eyes, and nothing seemed to happen except her cocoon shimmering a bit, though it could have been a trick with the lighting.

"Tackle again!"

Electrike groggily got back up (the poison really was taking a toll on his energy), his legs quivering as he ran toward Cherry, much slower than last time. His head collided with Cherry's hard form, and she rolled over a few times. The electric type collapsed on the floor again, panting.

May noticed the pain in her newly evolved pokémon's eyes and returned her. "I'm withdrawing her," May told the trainee. "Evolving zapped a lot of energy from her, and she really can't battle anyway."

"I, too, am withdrawing my electrike," Wattson remarked to the trainee as well, pulling out electrike's pokéball and returning him in a beam of red light. "That poison is really kicking in, and electrike won't be able to last long."

The trainee nodded and raised both flags, declaring it a tie. "Whoever wins this next battle will be the winner!" he declared.

"Magneton, come on out!" Wattson chose his next pokémon. The creature released itself from its ball, its six magnets twirling. It had three magnetic, steel bodies connected by screws, each with a single eye rolling around in its socket.

"A steel type," May remembered from her books. "This is perfect for Flare, then. Okay, Flare, come on out!" The girl released her combusken who cried out her name, her claws clenching themselves into fists. "Start out with Double Kick!" she shouted.

Flare nodded and jumped into the air, one leg raised. She slammed her leg on top of the magneton then landed on the ground, swinging her other leg around to knock the electric and steel type to the side. The magneton monotonously said its name and hovered back onto the battlefield, its eyes weary but not knocked out.

"Thundershock!" yelled Wattson before chucking heartily.

Magneton twirled a few of its magnets, generating electricity, before shooting out a bolt of lightning that hit the combusken directly in the chest. She skid back a bit, her feathers smoldering a bit from where she was hit. Instantly, she raised a claw to put pressure against the wound, glaring at the magneton.

"Ember 'em, Flare!" May cried.

Flare dropped her claw and inhaled, her chest puffing out, before exhaling a stream of fire that engulfed the steel type. Again, the magneton cried out its name monotonously, its eyes cringing in pain as it dropped to the floor, escaping the jet of flames. It slowly got back up, its eyes half open and its body shaking.

"Magneton, hang in there and use Sonicboom!" shouted Wattson, his eyes filled with worry.

Magneton, its magnets drooping a bit, straightened out its body, its metal bodies shaking and clanging against each other. The loud clanging was loud enough for May's ears, and she could only imagine how Flare, with her better hearing, was taking it. She watched helplessly as Flare dropped to the floor, her claws over her ears and her face wincing in agony.

"C'mon, Flare," May groaned through clenched teeth, her head turned away a bit, her own hands over her own pair of ears. "You can do it. Use Ember again!"

Flare's claws dug into the ground, lifting up chunks of earth as she got back up, her body still twitching from the loud noise. Inhaling deeply again, she blew flames against the loud sound waves, once more hitting the magneton. The electric type immediately stopped its attack and fell to the floor, its body scorching.

"Magneton is unable to battle!" announced the trainee. "The challenger wins!"

"You did it, Flare!" May excitedly ran toward the battlefield and gave her pokémon a tight hug like always. "You were awesome!"

Flare merely let out a sigh and looked at her trainer lovingly, too tired to respond.

Wattson chuckled merrily as he crossed the battlefield toward, his hands in his pockets. He fished out a gym badge, a gold, circular badge with two sharp ends. "This is the dynamo badge," the gym leader explained, pressing it into May's open palm. "Congratulations on a job well done." He let out another booming laugh, making the girl jump up a bit.

"Thanks, Wattson," she replied warmly, returning Flare to her pokéball before admiring her new badge in the light of the gym.

"Ho, ho!" the gym leader said, rubbing his belly as he walked off the battlefield to tend to his wounded pokémon. "Good luck, May! I hope to see you again!"

May waved goodbye to Wattson and quickly ran toward Brendan who was eagerly waiting at the sides. "Well?" she said tauntingly, waving the badge in Brendan's face. "How did I do?"

Brendan shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Just okay?" she scoffed. "I did great!"

"All you did was use ember ..."

"Psh! Type advantage, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah." Brendan waved her comment off and began to leave. "Come on, girl."

May pounded the floor. "My name is May!" she declared angrily before following after him.


	18. 2 battles 2day

Sorry. This chapter took a while huh?

Flare: Why does that cease to surprise me, astonish me, and make me laugh?

That was my 8th grade history teacher's quote! Aw, I miss 8th grade. 9th grade sucks especially since I'm 13. I'm like the youngest.

Muddy: Youngin'.

Whatever. Well, since I've been banned ::_coughs::_ and I had writer's block for this story - k, it's not really writer's block. It's just that I can't sit on my butt and type this story due to my lack of attenti– ::_runs to chase a dog::_

Muddy: I guess I'm going to have to take over! ::_goes up into chair and begins to type::_

Flare: I thought Latios put a barrier around the computer just for you. How did you break it?

Muddy: Somehow! Actually, I don't know. Gotta read reviews again-

Flare: You can read? Nuh uh! It's a miracle! Well, he did get smarter since he evolved. Actually we all evolved we just use AngeNightShadow's deevolution spray so we can stay in character for this story but we don't use it in the other-

Muddy: I'm confused.

Flare: Well, duh, you are in your Marshstomp form.

Muddy: I stay in this form because I hate Swamperts remember?

_::comes back::_ Get out of my seat, Muddy!

Muddy: Fine. _::grumbling but gets out::_

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**2 Battles 2day**

**

* * *

**"Thank GOD we're away from that twit monkey."

"Stop calling Wally that, B Boy." May's gloved hand made its way to her forehead, sliding it down her face, pulling at her eyelids. "He's a very nice boy, and you should have been nicer to him. He did let us stay over at his house for a few days, after all."

"Correction; his uncle did. Not him," Brendan argued, crossing his arms as the two hiked up the trail. Taillows chirped in the pine trees that bordered the dirt path, and the air was sweet with the scent of long glass, tickling their nostrils. "It's not like he was nice to me anyway."

"Well, he was quite sweet to me." May stopped for a bit and bent over, picking at a wild daffodil. "Make a wish," she said before blowing on the seeds. The white, fluffy seeds released themselves from the stem and floated and twisted in the air space in front of the two trainers.

Brendan swatted at the seeds, annoyed. He rubbed at his nose with his index finger. "Whatever. He's still an annoying kid to me, and that's that."

"I still don't see why. Did something happen between the two of you that I don't know about?" May replied, climbing over a boulder. She flinched as an edge of the sharp rock scratched against the back of her leg. Turning around, she heaved her leg up to look at the damage. There was a scratch mark, white and flaky against her usually smooth and moistened legs but it wasn't bleeding at least. She gave the scratch mark a final rub, looking up to notice Brendan gawking at her. "What? Do you need something?"

Brendan couldn't help but marvel over May's long legs – er, not that he wanted to. He was like a bug attracted to a light; he knew looking was a bad idea and probably would get him killed, but dammit, it was long and luxurious and oh so pretty ...

Shaking his head to focus back into reality, he quickly lowered his head and muttered, "No." He trudged forward, hearing May's lifted leg hit the ground as she quickly chased after him, walking on his right side. The two tread forward in awkward silence, listening to the calls of wild pokémon.

According to Brendan's manual and their pokenav maps, the next next major city was still awhile away – a few days trip at best. Little villages were dotted up along the path, but the two were mostly surrounded by nature. Although Brendan had lived on Hoenn for his entire life, he still couldn't help but marvel at the different environments the huge island had. Beach towns like Slateport and Dewford were light and airy with the scent of the sea drifting in the wind while the town up ahead would most likely be surrounded in the nature he was in now; towering pine trees, crisp, blue skies, and wet earth underneath his feet. He watched in wonderment as a zigzagoon darted across the path, perked up and looked at the two trainers coming its way, before jumping into a bush. If he looked up, he was sure to see a flock of taillow and swellow fly ahead, partly covered by the clouds.

As the boy dropped his head, he spotted something that was unnatural in the peaceful environment: Two humans. To be precise, two humans carting around heavy filming equipment. The man holding the camera had his head lowered, filming a wurmple crawling on the floor, before he pointed it up, looking at Brendan and May, the woman next to him following suit. Both of them stared at him intently, so he stared intently right back, taking in their appearance. The woman had short, blue hair and bright blue eyes. Clad only in a collared blue tank top and jeans, she gripped a microphone tightly in her hands. The man holding the camera was hard to make out due to his face being partially covered by the camera, but Brendan could make out his unruly, black hair underneath his orange cap.

"Hey, I recognize those people," Brendan said, alerting May's attention. He nudged his head in their direction. "They're news reporters or something."

May turned toward Brendan's direction and smiled widely. "That's Gabby and T.Y.! They do news reports and travel all around Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn!" she squealed happily, causing Brendan to cover his ears from the high-pitched noise. "They interview and battle only the most awesome trainers! Ooh, I hope they come up to us!"

"I'm sure," Brendan replied, rolling his eyes. "But let's walk past them. We really need to – oh, now where are you going?" The boy sighed as he saw May walk over to Gabby and T.Y., noticing the grin on her face growing wider if possible. "Girls," he muttered, shuffling over.

"Out of all the places to find two trainers!" Gabby exclaimed as Brendan and May came over.

"Hi," May said quietly, her confidence draining away. "I'm May."

Silence. May nudged Brendan with her elbow, her smile faltering when Brendan scowled at the two television reporters.

"Brendan," he mumbled, crossing his arms again, a tight-lipped scowl plastered on his face like concrete.

"Would you two like a two-on-two pokémon battle on real, live television?" Gabby asked hopefully as T.Y. focused in on the two trainers, panning in slowly on Brendan before turning his camera toward May.

Brendan's icy scowl fell and was replaced with a smirk at the thought of a battle, especially on television. "Sure. You up to it, May?"

"Of course!" May answered, enlarging one of her pokéballs, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "Ready to play?" she asked in a low, eerie voice that even sent shudders up Brendan's spine.

"Your girlfriend looks innocent, but I guess you can't judge a book by its cover. Huh, Brendan?" T.Y. laughed.

Brendan's smart-mouthed smirk wavered. "She's not my girlfriend! Why does everyone think that?"

"Because we make such an adorable couple!" May replied sarcastically, a smug smile on her face. "But let's get this battle started already! Go, Thunderbolt! Time to see how my training went before we left!" May's newest addition, Thunderbolt the electrike, came out in a blaze of glory, though he showed no emotion. May could tell, however, that he was psyched for a battle from the jolts of electricity running down his body.

"Hmm ... You know, that's a good idea. It's time to see how my training with Sapphire is going. I choose you, Sapphire!" Brendan sent out his pokémon. Sapphire cooed as she turned her head and waved her beacon at Brendan, small crackles of electricity sparking from it. This excited Brendan; all the training he did and the shocks he had to endure were really paying off.

"Go, Magnemite!" T.Y. sent out his pokémon in a blaze of white light. May recognized this pokémon, the pre-evolved form of magneton, the pokémon she fought early in her battle against Wattson. Instead of three metal bodies and three pairs of magnets, magnemite only had one metal body and two magnets connected on either side of it.

"Come out, Whismur!" Gabby sent out her pokémon, a small, pink pokémon with a wavering mouth and floppy ears. "Start things off with a Hyper Voice attack!"

Whismur, despite his normal quietness, let out a glass-shattering, ear-splitting scream that could compete with a golbat's screech attack. Sapphire and Thunderbolt winced at the sound, the sound waves blowing them back into a rocky cliff. Thunderbolt let out a grunt and hopped back onto his feet as Sapphire's eyes remained shut, her body trembling.

The girl noticed the whimpering lanturn and decided to make the first move for their side as Brendan looked on worriedly. "Thunderbolt, use Spark on the whismur! Shut it up!" May commanded, covering her ears from the attack.

Thunderbolt charged up his body, his fur crackling with electricity. As he lowered his head, the electrike darted toward the screeching whismur, his ears lowered, as he tackled him to the ground, both of their bodies going up in electric power. The whismur let out a loud cry, and Thunderbolt quickly jumped off, his teeth bared as he stomped the ground.

"Magnemite, use Sonicboom on the lanturn!" T.Y. ordered, still holding the camera firmly in his right hand.

Magnemite twirled its magnet and his body started to jitter, causing the tiny pebbles on the ground below to shake and rattle from the sound vibrations. Sapphire's eyes clenched tighter, whatever power she had in her beacon quickly diminishing away. She whimpered, lowering her beacon to eye level.

"Sapphire, you're doing great! Concentrate and try Water Gun! You can do it!" Brendan cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

Sapphire, empowered by Brendan's words, opened one eye shakily, before opening the other, her mouth partially opened and her insides churned with water. She sent out a jet of icy cold water hurtling toward the magnemite, drenching it from magnet to magnet.

"Whismur, tackle the lanturn!" Gabby instructed. Due to Sapphire's lack of movement out of water, the whismur's tackle was a direct hit. He careened the poor Lanturn into the wall again, causing her to groan in pain.

"Smooth move there, Brendan, sending out a pokémon that can barely move on land." The girl hit her forehead with her bare palm. "Try Thunder Wave on the whismur, Thunderbolt!" May directed. The electrike obeyed, his body charging up with blue sparks. He then released the energy, and the blue bolts struck down the whismur. His opponent let out a cry of distress, his short hands clutching his head as it stepped around dizzily. He then shivered and dropped to his knees, his fur crackling.

"Magnemite, supersonic on the electrike!" T.Y. ordered, hand still hanging on to the camera to record the battle. Magnemite sent another blast of sound waves toward Thunderbolt this time, a high pitched shrieking that left the electrike temporarily deaf.

"You're doing great, Sapphire! Finish the whismur off! Water gun again!" Brendan commanded, pumping a fist in the air.

Sapphire nodded, her beacon sweeping in front of her eyes. Puffing out her cheeks, she blew out another jet of cold water the beelined for the whismur, drenching him from head to toe. The whismur tried his best to maintain his ground, but the power of the water was too much, sending him flying back. He collided with the hard trunk of an oak tree and slid down it, resting as the roots, panting for breath, too tired to fight.

"Return, whismur!" Gabby recalled her pokémon. "There you have it, folks." She looked into T.Y.'s camera, turning her microphone back on. "These two trainers were able to defeat my whismur, but will they have another skill to beat T.Y.'s magnemite?"

"You know it!" Brendan stated confidently, listening to Gabby's report.

The girl next to him ignored him comment. "Concentrate, Thunderbolt, and use Quick Attack!" May directed. Thunderbolt, who's hearing was slowly coming back to him, heard May's command and sped over to the magnemite, ramming his body into the magnet one, falling onto his back dizzily but still conscious. The magnemite monotonously repeated its name, slowly hovering back up, its magnets clanging against its cold, metal body. Thunderbolt, too, hopped back onto his feet and growled.

"Use Thundershock on lanturn, Magnemite!" T.Y. countered. Magnemite twirled its magnets and set a jolt of electricity at Sapphire. Normally, that would have fainted Sapphire if she was a pure water type, but her electric side absorbed the electric energy. Sapphire let out a quiet cry, her eyes clenched shut, as the energy ran down her rubbery sides and then toward her beacon. Once again, her beacon glowed a dim gold, weak but apparent.

"Good thing that Sapphire's part electric, otherwise you would be all on your own," Brendan said thoughtfully. "Er, not saying you couldn't handle things on your own."

"Right." May eyed Brendan wearily. She then pointed a finger at the magnemite. "Let's finish this thing off! Thunderbolt, finish it with Quick Attack now!" Thunderbolt sped at the magnemite with incredible speed, his feet slapping the ground, and he jumped up, tackling his opponent quickly. Magnemite fell to the floor, a swirl in its one eye.

"All right! We won!" Brendan yelled happily, running to the makeshift battlefield and scooping Sapphire. The lanturn let out a happy coo and lightly slapped Brendan with her beacon, causing him to flinch; she accidentally sent out a spark when contacting Brendan's cheek.

"Yay!" May cheered right along, also congratulating her Pokémon who seemed to preoccupied with his own thoughts at the moment.

"That was an intense battle!" Gabby cried out as T.Y. recalled his magnemite. She then headed toward Brendan and May and stuck the microphone underneath their chins, bewildering them. "So what do you say? Want to give us a battle clincher? You know, how do you felt before, during, and after the battle?"

Brendan and May looked at each other and nodded as they returned their pokémon.

"You will? Thank you!" Gabby replied excitedly, "Okay, I need you to describe your feelings about our battle, but it has to be short and sweet. Go!"

So fast, so sudden; it barely gave him enough time to think. So Brendan said the first thing that came to mind. "Uh, great." He then shrugged his shoulders, wincing at his answer.

Gabby thought for a moment. "Mmm, yeah! That's the perfect clincher! I get the feeling that this will make a great T.V. show. There's a chance they'll air this on T.V., so make sure to look for us! Okay! We'll be seeing you!" The reporter turned back to T.Y. as the cameraman took the camera off his shoulders, and the two began to talk in hushed whispers, looking back and forth between the two trainers and each other.

"Er ... bye, then," May muttered as the two walked forward. She turned her head to admire the peaceful atmosphere once more. A lake, clear and glossy, was to her side, and she peered close enough, she could make out the forms of a magikarp. "Hey, B Boy? What's with the hostility when we first met Gabby and T.Y?"

Brendan put his arms behind his head and sighed thoughtfully. "Well, they show a trainer's pokémon battles on the television, right?"

"Yeah. Your point?"

"Well, I'm going to be famous someday, and thousands of girls are going to be chasing me one day. I don't want that to happen to me at this early point of my life, but by being aired on T.V., people are going to know about me and ask for my autograph!"

May blinked, astounded by the trash that Brendan sputtered out. He couldn't be serious, could he? "You are so arrogant sometimes, Brendan," she murmured, rolling her eyes. Her hands made their ways to her hips, her fingers wrapping around them.

"What? I'm just telling you what I feel."

"Yeah. Of course. I wouldn't worry too much about that, B Boy. No one is going to care."

There was another awkward silence, though Brendan was used to them. They were so different, May and him. It was true, though. One day he will be an awesome trainer with awesome fans, and she better know it now before it's too late. The path relatively remained unchanged, thick trees of the forest bordering the path, though it did get windier. Brendan knew why, too. They were closing in on the desert, a treacherous area – if you weren't prepared, anyway. He already could feel the grains of sand hit in in the face, and he knew May could, too, seeing as she had her head turned away, her gloved hand shielding her eyes.

"What the heck is going on?" she asked, sputtering soon after. Grains of sand made their way into her mouth. She clutched onto her hair so it wouldn't blow behind her shoulder. "Where are we?"

"The desert," Brendan replied, shrugging off his backpack strap and swinging it around. He opened the side compartment and started to rummage through it, his eyes squinting as a high whistling wind blew past, blowing more sand in their direction. "We're going to need your go-go goggles to get through."

May turned her body around so that her back faced the wind. "My go-go what?" she yelled over the loud whistling wind.

"Go-go goggles," he repeated. "If you are smart, you should get yours out too." With a hard tug, Brendan pulled out a pair of green goggles that went limp in his hands. The lenses were a transparent green and the borders were made out of rubber.

May looked to the side, fidgeting. "You know that I've been in Johto for almost all of my life, and they don't have sandstorms there so–"

"You don't have any?" Brendan finished for her.

May sighed, pushing her bangs to the side, though they ended up teasing her forehead again anyway. "Yeah. Go on without me. I'll just die here all alone!"

"Stop being so dramatic." Brendan shook his head and looked at the pair of go-go goggles in his hands. He handed them to her. "Here, take these–"

May was flattered by Brendan's gesture (in fact, it was the only kind gesture he had done for her so far) but refused, shaking her head and pushing the goggles back toward Brendan. "I couldn't."

"Just take them! I have another–"

Once again, Brendan was interrupted, not by May or the wind, but something twice as annoying, and whiny at that. "Dammit!" he groaned as he spotted a trainer with green hair, a white button-up shirt, and khaki pants run toward them, his arm waving. "Can't I get a moment's peace without that little brat tagging along?"

"Brendan ..." May sighed, rolling her eyes. "Hey, Wally!" she greeted as Wally caught up to them, panting for breath. "What's up?"

"Hey, May," he gasped back, one hand reaching for his chest. He doubled over, hands on his knees, before standing up straight. "Brandon." He acknowledged Brendan, glaring coldly at him. "Anyway, I just wanted to say bye again."

"What?" Brendan muttered, turning away, not looking at Wally but the sandy ground instead. "Did the other thirty times you said goodbye to May last night not good enough for you?"

"I wasn't talking to you," Wally murmured back, not taking his eyes off May. "I wanted to say bye again because," at this, he puffed out his chest, "I decided to become a trainer as well."

May blinked a few times, though that could be because of the sand. "Really? Your uncle is letting you?"

At this, Wally lowered his head, avoiding May's eyes. "Not exactly ..." he mumbled. He quickly shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm well enough now to travel."

May nodded but looked at the green-haired boy worriedly. "Well, if you're sure you're feeling up to it. It is a long journey after all." She then snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up. "I have a great idea! Why don't you travel with me and Brendan?"

"Noooo!" shouted the two boys together.

"Well, what I mean it," Wally said hurriedly, looking at Brendan first and then May, "is that I'm far behind you two. I need to go back to Rustboro still and then go back to Mauville once I'm a decent enough trainer. I'd just drag you guys behind. Besides, I'm only heading toward the old lady's rest stop a little while's away from here. She has some medicine for my ralts."

"Exactly," Brendan agreed, his eyes shifting back and forth. He snapped on his pair of go-go goggles, the green lenses making his ruby eyes look wider. "Come on then. Let's get through this desert so we can get rid of this twit monkey." He tread forward, Wally and May quickly following behind him, getting closer to the desert.

"But Brendan! I don't have a pair of go-go goggles!" May complained again, squinting to see the path in the sandstorm. "And it's impossible to see through all the sand!"

"Here! Take mine!" Wally stated, reaching into his pocket to take out a pair of his own green go-go goggles. "I'd gladly go blind for you, May."

"Uh, I think that's flattering but–"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," Brendan interrupted her, reaching into his backpack once again to retrieve his other pair of go-go goggles. "Here, you can use my spare." He handed them to May.

"Thanks, Brendan!" May reached out and took them, smiling warmly. She placed them over her eyes, looking much like a fly. "Ready to go?" she asked as she headed into the sand storm. Her ends of her shirts flapped behind her, and the wind popped up her collar. Making sure her mouth was shut so she wouldn't swallow any sand, May's curvy frame quickly disappeared the further she walked into the desert.

Brendan turned around and glared evilly at Wally, smirking. "See that, Wallace? I got a smile while you got nothing!"

Wally said nothing as he walked past Brendan, took a hold of the go-go goggles on his rival's face, stretched them out and released them with a loud snap.

"Ow!" Brendan's hand immediately jumped to his face, shifting his goggles to rub at his eyes. "What the heck?" he cried at Wally's back. Wally continued to walk forward, though, following after May. "Hey! I'm not done with you yet! Come back here, you little son of a–" The whistling of the wind cut Brendan off as May and Wally came back to him, placing their go-go goggles on the top of their heads.

"What's wrong?" Brendan asked, worried for May but couldn't care less for Wally. "Why aren't you two going in?"

"The sandstorm is too strong even with the go-go goggles," May answered, looking into the distance. "And the wind is too strong! I almost got blown off my feet, but Wally caught me just in time."

Wally smirked at Brendan who in return gave him the finger behind May's back.

"We'll have to take the long way then, through another cave." Brendan smirked as May let out a shudder. "Don't worry. It's not that dark a cave. A lot of fire pokémon reside in it, so it's pretty lit up. Hot, too." He lead May and Wally down a curved path away from the desert, walking past a trainer meditating next to the base of a pine tree. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed, his arms up in an awkward, twisted position. Brendan paid no attention to him, though.

The girl next him did, however. "Who's that kid?" May used her head to point to the guy Brendan noticed. She stopped in her tracks to stare at him. "And what is he doing?"

"I have no idea," Brendan replied, scratching his head.

"Hey, kid!" Wally yelled out. "Who are you?"

"Geez, Wallace, didn't your mother teach you any manners?" Brendan slapped his forehead. "You're so demanding."

The other trainer opened his eyes and glanced at the three other trainers. He stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. He was a rather tall boy, even though he looked around the three trainers' age. He wore a red shirt and black pants, the same colors that Brendan wore, and his skin was a pale white. His clear, ocean blue eyes held no feeling in them, his face not showing a scowl nor a smile. All in all, it sent a slight shiver up May's spine.

"Make him stop," May quivered, stepping behind Brendan and grabbing his arm.

"Make him stop doing what? He's just staring," he muttered back.

This was perfect, at least in Wally's eyes. Since she seemed to be so scared of this guy, he would challenge him to a battle and then win, and she would see what a great trainer he is. Maybe even greater than that Brendan kid. He did, however, notice that she went straight to him for protection, still clinging on to his arm and peeking around his shoulder, trembling. What did she see in him? Was cockiness a turn on for her? He could act cocky for May.

"Are you doing staring at us?" he remarked bluntly, surprising the two trainers next to him.

"Chill out, Wally," Brendan warned. "This trainer looks tough."

"Oh yeah, Birch. He looks REAL tough." Wally rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his waist. "I bet you a wild zigzagoon can kick his butt!"

As May grabbed on tighter to his arm, he couldn't help but realize what Wally was doing; he was trying to impress May. "Stop showing off, wannabe. It just makes you sound big-headed," Brendan pointed out, shaking his head. "Only immature, little trainers make fun of a trainer they don't even know."

"I'll show you immature trainer, Birch. Then we'll see who's laughing then."

"There must be something funny in Verdanturf's air that we don't know about," Brendan murmured to May who laughed.

Wally stepped forward, one hand gripping a pokéball. "Hey, kid! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" he demanded, a smirk forming on his face.

The other boy trainer just blinked, unamused. "Fine then," he said a monotone type of manner. "My name is Kero, and you are?"

"Wally." Wally smirk grew wider. "How about a double battle then? Two Pokémon each, and whoever faints all opposing pokémon is the winner! Got it?"

"Yeah," Kero said coldly, enlarging two of his pokéballs and throwing them toward the open ground in front of him. "Go Blazin and Swamper!" He let out a torchic and a mudkip, both eagerly jumping and cheering their names.

"Aw, back to the good old days. Ay, Brendan?" May remarked, gazing happily at the pre-evolved forms their starter pokémon. She nudged him sheepishly.

"Sure, May," Brendan replied, hoping that Kero's pokémon could kick Wally's behind. Latios, that would be great.

"Come on out, Ralts and Magnemite!" Wally threw out his first two pokémon, releasing them from their balls. Brendan immediately recognized ralts as he just battled it a few days ago, but he never knew Wally managed to capture another pokémon. Magnemites liked to cluster around Mauville City since it was such a busy, electrified town.

Wally grit his foot against the ground and commanded the first move. "Let's start things off, Ralts, with a confusion attack on the mudkip!"

Ralts sent a beam of bright, purple light that surrounded Swamper. She lifted her scrawny arms, the mudkips rising with it, and then thrust her arm forward, throwing Swampert into a nearby tree. Swamper slid down the tree but quickly jumped back onto his feet, growling angrily.

"Use Mud Slap, Swamper!" Kero commanded.

Swamper spit on the ground, wetting the dry earth and turning around, dipping his tail into it and mixing the wet earth around to make a gooey mud. and dipped his tail into it. His tail dug down deeper into it before he pulled it out quickly, sending a shower of wet dirt toward the ralts. The ralts covered her head with her tiny arms, cringing at the attack.

"Magnemite, try a thundershock on the mudkip!" Wally ordered. Magnemite charged up his positive and negative magnets and shot a jolt of electricity at Swamper. The mudkip's knees buckled at the attack, but he managed to shake the attack off albeit panting a bit.

"Blazin, use Ember on the magnemite!" Kero instructed. The torchic jumped up in place, her cheeks puffing out, before releasing a flurry of red and orange flames that danced toward the magnemite, frying it. Magnemite rolled its eye in its socket, its magnet twirling.

"Ralts, use Future Sight!" Wally called out. Ralts glowed several different colors before ending her attack. There was a slight disturbance in the air that was not from the sandstorm.

"Swamper, use Mud Shot on Magnemite! Finish it off!" Kero commanded. Swamper swallowed a few gulps of air before sending out a jet of sticky mud at the magnemite, sending him flying backward. Magnemite flipped a few times in the air before it collapsed onto the floor, fainting, mud drying on its circular, steel body.

"One down, one to go," muttered Kero as Wally returned his fallen pokémon.

Wally's fists clenched against his sides, his body shaking underneath the pressure. "Ralts, use another Confusion!" he ordered, still determined to win. Ralts took control of Swamper's body again and used her telekinetic powers to throw him into a rather large boulder. Swamper's body hit the rock sickengly, but he managed to get back up, looking extremely tired. Just then, an unexpected breeze came, tense and omnious.

"Crap. I forgot about the Future Sight ..." Kero grumbled. "Try and dodge them, you guys!" Blazin, with his quick agility, was able to swiftly dodge the attacks but Swamper wasn't so lucky. While he was able to dodge most of the beams of white light, a few hit him, enough to zap at his energy and knock him out.

"Return, Swamper." Kero recalled his pokémon in a beam of red light. "Good job, Swamper! I'm proud of you." His eyes then narrowed into cold slits as he glared at Wally. "One against one, huh?"

"Took you long enough to defeat one of his pokémon. Huh, Wallace?" Brendan laughed mockingly.

"Shut up!"

"Do you even have a badge, Wally? How do you expect to beat the other three? You pretty much just got most of your pokémon."

"I'll show you!" Wally paid no attention to Brendan's cackly laughter and gazed at his ralts. She want panting, all the energy she had to use taking a toll on her body. "Hang in there," he said worriedly. "Try Confuse Ray!"

Ralts, gasping for breath, focused her energy toward her eyes, letting them glow a bright red.

"Don't let her! Close your eyes and use sand attack!" quickly countered Kero.

Kero's torchic immediately closed her eyes and used her sharp claws to kick up sand. The sand, thanks to the wind, traveled in ralts' direction, embedding themselves into her huge eyes. Ralts let out a tiny whine, her stick-thin arms traveling toward her face, wiping at it.

"Now tackle!" cried Kero.

The torchic hopped in place a bit before dashing over toward the tired ralts, her head lowered, the three feathers on her head flying backwards. She collided her feathery body into the psychic's thin one, the torchic on top. Blazer then used her claws to stop herself on the ground and kicked ralts further with her other leg, sending her flying into a tree trunk. There was no question; ralts was too tired to continue battling after such a hard impact.

"Ralts!" Wally cried worriedly, running toward his fallen pokémon and cradling in his arms. "Oh ... are you okay?"

The ralts let out a tiny murmur, going limp in her trainer's arms.

With a slight sign of disappointment, Wally, his head lowered, muttered, "I better go back to Mauville and heal." And like that, he ran down the path he came from without saying goodbye.

Brendan and May watched him leave before the boy finally murmured. "I like this Kero boy." May looked at him curiously, an eyebrow raised. "Ugh! Not in that way!"

May shrugged and walked over to Kero who was shining his pokéballs with his shirt. "Hi! I'm May, and this is Brendan!" May said warmly, holding out her hand. Kero just stared at it, no emotion on his face. "Uh, right." The girl let her hand drop. "So where are you from?"

Kero paused before answering with a simple, three-syllable word. "Lavaridge."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Well, er," Brendan paused, rubbing a hand behind the back of his head nervously. "It was nice meeting you, Kero, but we ourselves have to get to Lavaridge for our next gym battle. So ... er, bye?"

Kero only nodded and sat back down at the base of the tree he once sat on, meditating, his eyes closing once more.

"What was that about?" May whispered as Brendan pulled her by the arm and started to walk swiftly in the other direction.

"I don't know, but let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

The crickets chirped, the taillow nestled in their trees and the nocturnal pokémon coming out to play. Brendan and May rolled out their sleeping bags and looked at the night sky filled with stars.

"I'm bored," May announced, clinging onto her sleeping bag. "It's too early for bed."

"I know," Brendan agreed. "I need some action!"

There was a loud slap that resounded throughout the forest, alarming the woodland pokémon.

"Ow! I didn't mean it in that way!"  
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Want to know the funniest thing? I was searching for Brendan and May stories online 'cause I was bored, and I saw something. My story was on another site lol. Only I didn't post it on that one site. K, it's not really funny but still. I think it was only up to the second chapter.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 6/30/09**


	19. Falling Ashes

Muddy: You're late with your chapter again, Breezy.

My bad?

Flare: Like that's going to help all the impatient readers and reviewers of yours. Huh, Breezy?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokémon. Duh.

Skittles: No changing the subject.

Muddy: I've got the whole world in my hands-

Flare: Stop singing that! You're getting everyone confused!

Muddy: Really? Then, I've got the whole world in my handssss.

Flare: Ugh.

Muddy: :_shudders_::

Flare: What's up, chicken butt? Hold up. I'm a chicken. Never mind.

Muddy: _::shudders more::_ Nothin'. I'm good.

Flare: You know what's stupid, Muddy?

Muddy: Me? I know, heard it a billion times_. ::grins::_

Flare: No. . . well yeah but that's not the point. You know, its stupid when someone brings up a problem but then say, "Nothin, I'm good. . ." You know how retarded that is?

Muddy: I know. I hate when Pokemon do that to me! Wait.

Skittles: I think this is the most boring beginning thing there is so-

Sirius: That's because you're here.

Skittles: (_glares)_ Riiiiiight. It's because of me. Anyhoo, read the story and enjoy!

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**Falling Ashes**

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* * *

**

As the golden morning sun rose over the peak of a mountain, the two trainers emerged from their peaceful slumber – well if one could count sleeping with a big lump on your head peaceful that is. Speaking of "peaceful," the most "tranquil" of them all found something quite interesting curled up next to her, and god it made her sour.

"Ah! Brendan Birch! You pervert!" May screeched, whacking Brendan with a empty pokéball, making the poor boy trainer jolt up, his white hair pointing out in all directions without his bandanna on. She whacked him hard in the face again, despite his bewilderment. "How many times must I tell you to stop sleeping next to me!"

Before he could respond, May socked him in the face with the pokéball again, leaving behind a red, circular mark on his cheek. "Latios quit it!" He grabbed at May's hand and pried it free of the pokéball, setting it down next to him. "I'm trying to sleep here, woman!"

He immediately regretted saying that as May's hand slapped against his other cheek, reddening it as well. "Don't you ever call me that again, Brendan Birch, because if you do, you'll have hell to pay!" she threatened, reaching over and grabbing her pokéball to hit Brendan in the arm this time. Then she suddenly smiled, scaring the already pained trainer in front of her. "Two welts in two days ... That's got to be a record. Makes you think, doesn't it?"

The boy ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up into an even messier style. "Oh, yes. It makes me think all right," Brendan grumbled, rubbing his head vigorously. "How many brain cells I lose, why I travel with you, especially since I hate you because all of these lumps on my head ..."

"Aw, Brendan! I love you, too!" May replied happily, stretching over and giving the boy a pat on the head playfully. She slid out of her sleeping bag, her bare legs enjoying the fresh mountain air, and got onto her knees, rolling her sleeping back into a tight curl before connecting it to her fanny pack. She then opened one of the smaller pockets and pulled out a toothbrush and a smaller bag, a bag that probably contained make up and other ... girly things, as Brendan would fondly state. "Watch my stuff, okay?" she said, slipping her shoes on. She motioned her hand toward one of the public restrooms that trainers used while on the road. "I'm going to go clean up."

"Yeah, whatever." Brendan fell back onto his pillow, staring straight into the morning sky. It was pretty, a nice mixture of light blue, orange, and baby pink, and it reminded him of the cotton candy at summer fairs. The clouds reflected the morning sunlight, making them glow brilliantly. A warm wind swept over his face, ruffling his hair fondly. "The day that May loves me is the day when groudon arises from his sleep." He snorted. "Like that's ever going to happen."

Unfortunately, due to his deep staring, he hadn't noticed that May hadn't walked that far away and heard him talking to himself. She stopped in her tracks and turned around, her hands on her hips. "What's going to not happen?" she asked curiously.

Brendan's eyes widened, but he kept his composure. "I thought you left. Must you sneak up on me like that?"

"Duh." May twirled a strand of delicate, chestnut brown hair in between two fingers. "It's the point of me traveling with you, silly. That and making sure you don't get into any trouble."

"Me?" Brendan asked, surprised, pointing to himself. He still laid flat on his back, staring straight into the sky. "Don't you mean me getting you out of trouble?"

"Sure, if it makes you feel better," May stated, dropping her hair back into its place. "Tell you what. You look out for me, and I'll look out for you."

"Fine," Brendan agreed, putting his hands behind his head. "You've got my back, and I've got yours. But I'm going to be the one that will always catch you when you fall, right?"

May raised an eyebrow at this. "Why?"

"Just answer it."

"Okay, fine. Only you can be my knight-in-shining-armor."

"Good," Brendan said simply, rolling up his own sleeping bag and placing it in his backpack. "Now go to the bathroom now. I'll watch your stuff."

"Oh, I will. But first," May marched over to the campsite and picked up Brendan's bandanna, dropping it on his face. "Put this back on. You look stupid without it. Not that you didn't before or anything, though."

Brendan huffed, blowing up the cloth of his bandanna a bit. "Whatever."

May let out a cute little giggle before skipping off toward the public bathrooms, leaving Brendan to his lonesome. He sat up, looking around the clearing they settled it. Their campfire had, obviously, died out, its charred remains black and sooty. Thick trees protected them, covering them from people that could have walked by on the path but still not deep within the forest for the duo to get lost in. The thick foliage of the tree tops provided enough shade, cooling down his flushed face, though rays of sunlight still managed to peek through the branches, touching upon the ground.

As he waited for May to get back from the bathroom, Brendan rolled up his sleeping back and hooked it to the bottom of his backpack. He then managed to tame his wild hair, tying his red and black bandanna around it. After that, he managed to brush his teeth with a water bottle and toothbrush and mused how nature was pretty much a boy's bathroom. Girls and their need for a mirror. Finally, he scarfed down a granola bar he found at the bottom of his backpack, satisfying the rumbling in his stomach.

He waited.

And he waited.

And he waited some more.

As five minutes turned to ten, and then fifteen, and then twenty, Brendan, frustrated, stood up, straightened out the wrinkles in his clothing, and picked up May's fanny back, marching over toward the public restroom. Just as he was closing in, May emerged, a little pink in the cheeks. Flustered, she quickly grabbed at her fanny pack and clipped it around her hips, blowing up her bangs.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Um, looking for you," Brendan replied hesitantly, puzzled by May's change in attitude. In a matter of thirty minutes, May changed from angry, to perky, then back to angry. What was going on with her? As he thought more, his eyes widened ... Oh god no. She wasn't ... She couldn't be ... Is that why she took so long in the bathroom?

"Where are we going now?" she asked, snapping Brendan out of his thoughts.

"... Are you okay?" he asked, ignoring May's question.

The girl eyed Brendan wearily. "Yeah, I guess," she grumbled. "Why?"

"Um ... nothing." Brendan felt embarrassed for some reason, trying to avoid May's eye contact by pulling his pokénav out of his pocket. He clicked open the map and pointed to the next town on their route. "Since the sandstorm is too strong for us to get to, we'll have to take the long way–"

"You told me that yesterday," she snapped, making Brendan squeal under his breath as he scrolled down on the map.

"Yeah ..." he replied shakily. "Since we have to take the long way, we'll have to walk to the cable cars up to Mt. Chimney, and them climb down from there toward Lavaridge." He knew something for sure; the girl was PMSing. He wasn't sure what it stood for since he paid little attention during health class when they were going over it (more out of sheer boredom then embarrassment), though the letters, funny enough, could stand for "Pissy May Syndrome."

"Fine. Lead the way then."

"Good." He smirked, heading down the path. "Let's go before the PMS really kicks in."

"Hey!"

* * *

"What do you mean we can't go on?" May screeched at a man dressed in a red and black uniform. She peered around the railing, looking at the cable car. It swung back and forth on its wire, its yellow paint shining under the fluorescent lighting. "It doesn't look broken to me!"

"And here's the PMS attack, ladies and gentlemen," Brendan murmured dully to himself, standing a bit away from May.

"I heard that!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am." Brendan could tell the man guarding the cable cars was getting frustrated with the girl. "We can't let anyone on until the repairs are fully complete. You're going to have to find another way to get to Lavaridge."

Brendan rubbed the back of his neck, grabbing May lightly by the shoulders and turning her around toward the exit. "Cool it, May. We can go through the Fiery Path," he explained, pushing her forward until they were outside. "We'll just stop at Fallabor Town until the cable cars are fixed."

May bit her lip. "Fine!" she exclaimed bitterly, blowing a few of her bangs up in the process. "But it better be worth it."

Brendan flashed her a smile. "There we go. Now were going to take this one step at a time. Breathe in, breathe out ... That's it. Good!" Brendan grabbed May's wrist, leading her toward Fiery Path, a cave that was close to the cable cars. "Now we're going to take little baby step. Ready? One. Two. Three. Four–"

This annoyed May more, her eye twitching. "I'm a big girl!" May pried her arm away from Brendan's grasp. She took a deep breath, whiffing in the sweet scent of pine trees. "I'm calm. I'm collected."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

The route through the Fiery Path was a ... strange one. It was hot, of course, steam rising from the ashy red ground, making the boy sweat. The cave walls were close together, making things more uncomfortable if possible. The cries of zubat echoed throughout the long, narrow cave, intensifying May's annoyance. Not that it mattered; he was already sweating because of May's unpredictable nature, and he was already uncomfortable knowing that May was ... going through ... womanly problems. Damn that numel, though. Damn it burning May's finger, making her angrier.

Tentatively, Brendan whimpered, "Um, May?"

"That damn pokémon burnt my finger!" she bellowed, beginning to suck on her index finger.

The two were outside the exit of Fiery Path with Brendan watching May stamp the long grass underneath her sneakers, her burnt finger lifted to the heavens. She waved her saliva drenched finger in the air, the cool air bringing some relief to it.

Sighing, Brendan pulled out a bottle of ointment from his backpack and motioned May to come toward him. "Come here so I can–"

May's eyes widened at the sight of the bottle. "No! That stuff stings!" she declared, backing away from Brendan.

"It's not that stuff!" he groaned.

"You're a liar!"

"May, I'm not lying. I promise."

"No! You are a liar! I don't trust you!"

Groaning again, Brendan, frustrated with his girl companion, grabbed her wrist again, roughly this time, and wiped the saliva off her finger using his shirt sleeve. He squeezed some ointment into his hand and rubbed it on May's burnt finger, making her cry out. "Finally ..." he muttered, dropping May's hand and recapping the bottle.

May shrieked a little, preparing herself for the awful pain that was to come, but it never did. "Hey! What's with this stuff? It doesn't hurt you!"

"Uh, do you want it to hurt you?" Brendan asked, bewildered.

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Nothing. Just saying it doesn't hurt is all," May replied innocently, rubbing the ointment more thoroughly on her finger. "Anyway, let's get to Fallabor Town!" She skipped down toward the main pathway, humming to herself, her hair bouncing up and down.

"What the? Now she's all nice," Brendan groaned, following May slowly, alert for sudden whining fits. A few minutes later, May stopped unexpectedly, causing Brendan to crash into her from the back. "What's the hold up?" He pushed himself off of May.

May gestured her hand toward the landscape in front of her. There were still the familiar pine trees of course, and the grass was long and thick. However, everything seem coated in white, like it snowed. Brendan knew better, though; Hoenn was too hot for such weather. The air smelled like something was on fire, and sure enough, a few ashes floated their way, landing on their clothing.

"Volcano ash," the girl murmured, holding her hand out to catch a falling ash. She closed her hand around it, letting it crumble.

"Well, that's what you get when you live near a volcano after all, May," Brendan replied, walking past May and into the route ahead, ignoring the flying ashes. He noticed that his girl companion wasn't following. "What are you waiting for? Fallabor is up ahead."

"Volcano?" she repeated worriedly, not taking a step forward.

Brendan nodded, lifting his arms to rest them behind his head. "Mhm," he answered. "We're near Mount Chimney. That was where those cable cars would have taken us if they were open."

"Volcano?" she repeated more urgently. "If there's a whole bunch of ashes flying about, does that mean it's going to–"

"Erupt?" Brendan finished for her. He shook his head. "Nah. Mount Chimney is still active, of course, but it hasn't erupted in decades. It surely won't now. So come on. The faster you come here, the faster we can get out."

May looked back and forth between the clean, ash-free path behind her and the sooty path her friend was ankle deep in. Hesitantly, she followed after Brendan, her face twisting into disgust. "I am so taking a shower when we get out of here."

"Pretend it's snow," Brendan suggested helpfully. "Watch." He stuck out his tongue to catch a falling ash. His face then contorted itself into pure horror as he coughed and spat toward the ground, gagging.

May groaned. "Great idea, B Boy."

"Shut up," he muttered as the two tread forward through the long grass, kicking up the ash that rested on the blades. The trail they left behind returned back to its natural green state, though that would soon be fixed as more ash floated down from the sky. He pointed toward the sun, hidden behind a layer of smog, making the light look more diluted and spread out. The ashes floated gently toward the ground in a dizzying spiral. If it didn't smell so bad, it actually wasn't too bad of a place. "See? It ain't all bad!"

May looked around. "But it's mostly bad."

"Whatever you say, May." The boy trainer spotted a nearby house, smoke coming out of its chimney, blending in with the smog-filled sky above. What was once a red roof was covered in white ash, and the brown paint job of the walls was beginning to peel and crack in places. "Who would want to live here?" he asked, scratching his head. He then shook it, and several ashes flew out of his hair.

"Crazy people?" May suggested. Curious, she walked down toward it and climbed up the wooden steps to the porch, lifting one hand to knock on the door. No answer. She knocked two more times. No answer again. After awhile of waiting, she opened the door. "Question: Why does no one answer the doors here?" she asked the boy behind her.

"Better question: When was it allowed for trainers to just enter a house without no one's permission?" Brendan asked as May peered her head around the door, looking in.

"Dunno," May answered behind her shoulder, pushing the door open wider. "Hello?"

While the building looked like a house, the insides surely didn't. There were several tables pushed up against the sides, each containing bags of ash and soot. Weird devices that May couldn't name were hung up on the walls. A roaring fireplace was against the back of the building and had a pot over it, something boiling inside. Sitting in the corner and looking in a thick, canvas bag was a young boy, no older than seven years old. There also was a man, his hair thinning in the middle of his head, who sat at one of the many tables, hammering away at something.

The man noticed the two trainers and said merrily, "Huff puff, hi!" His watery eyes then went wide, almost crazy like. "Do you have ashes, huff puff?"

May gulped a bit and stood behind Brendan. "I told you. Crazy people," she hissed in his ear.

"Ashes?" Brendan asked out of common courtesy, trying not to laugh at May's comment.

"Ashes, huff puff, ashes," the man repeated. "If you collect ashes, huff puff, then I can, huff puff, make you, huff puff, something, huff puff." He scooted his chair out and looked under his desk, pulling out two empty canvas bags. "These, huff puff, carry, huff puff, ashes, huff puff. When you have enough, huff puff, come and see, huff puff, me, huff puff." By this time, the man looked "huff puffed" out as he stood up and handed Brendan and May the empty bags.

Brendan hesitantly took the two bags, feeling the thick material with his hands. "Uh, thanks," he muttered, looking at the bags with wonder. "Well, um ... I guess we'll be going then. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, huff puff!" the man exclaimed happily, waving them out.

Brendan slammed the door behind him. "Crazy indeed, May." He separated the bags and handed one to May.

May took the bag and then threw it behind her shoulder, Brendan following suit. "Tell me about it."

"Why do I have to tell you if you were there, too?"

"Ugh."

* * *

"So this is Fallabor, huh?" May asked, flicking the white ashes out of her hair. "Seems like a cozy little place like Littleroot."

And she was right. Fallabor was a tiny town, almost farm-like in appearance, with several dark patches of earth next to the city with thick rows where plants could grow. Only several small houses were dotted along the road, most of them clustered together. There was a small shop, wooden and quaint. In fact, the only technological building in the place was the pokémon center, but it blended in with the city, seeing as it was made out of the same wooden planks.

"Yeah," Brendan agreed. "It's a pretty popular place, though. They're famous for holding their pokémon contests." He nudged his head in the direction of a taller wooden structure, its tall glass windows gleaming in the sunlight. "There. That's where they take place."

"I love pokémon contests!" May squealed joyfully, clapping her hands together. "All the cute, little pokémon and the cool pokémon and the tough pokémon just coming together in one massive building! Wow!" She went starry-eyed. "I always wanted to enter a pokémon contest!"

"Another dream to follow, huh?" Brendan chuckled to himself. "Well that's good, I suppose."

May got the last flake of ash out of her hair and now was working on her bandanna. "Yes it is, isn't it?"

The two continued to walk the length of the town, admiring it. Well, May did. Brendan couldn't help but notice the girls that walked past him, giggling and smiling at him. One of them pointed toward him, blushing, causing the other girls to giggle more.

Brendan, unsure, raised a hand and waved at them slightly, smiling back. "Um, hello."

May noticed this, hearing the giggles of the girls, and rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Am I serious ... what?"

"Are you really flirting with those girls now?"

"What? I just waved at them. How is that flirting?" Brendan was astounded, once more, by May's quick change in mood. "What's with you today? Why so ... bitter?"

"Bitter?" she exclaimed, scoffing, stomping her foot. "I'm not bitter."

"You're certainly not acting ... normal. One minute you're happy, and the next you're all ... not happy."

"You mean all PMS-y?"

"Er, yeah. Let's go with that."

May shook her head and walked forward, Brendan on her heels like a puppy. "Never mind," she stated simply.

"What? You got all mad at me when I was ... when I was smiling at those girls." Brendan smirked as it dawned upon him. He crossed his arms, cocky. "Oh, I get it now. Are you jealous, May?"

May froze in her spot for a minute but continued walking to the pokémon center. "Me? Jealous? Ha! In your dreams, Birch!"

This caused Brendan to smirk wider. "Aw, does widdle May have a crush on the handsome Brendan?"

May glared coldly at Brendan. "Oh yeah. I have a crush on you," she stated in a sarcastic manner. "The day I like you, Brendan Birch, is the day when groudon awakes from his eternal sleep!" She stormed off, frightening several small taillow that rested on the ground.

Brendan's eye widened for a moment, his head and his heart taking in the words spoken to him seconds ago. He sighed sadly. "And to think I thought she liked me, too."

**Last Revision: 6/30/09**


	20. Tears of Hot Magma

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sirius: To?

SOMEONE!

Sirius: Seriously, even I'm not that hyper today.

Muddy: NO! I'm going to evolve in less than two chapters.

Flare: Dude, I thought you liked being a Swampert now.

Muddy: Well, not in this frickin' story!

Flare: But only in** May I?**

Muddy: Duh!

Sirius: Cool! I get to evolve!

Skittles: Get a Moonstone fast, Breezy.

Whatever.

**Disclaimer**: Pokemon don't belong to I ... me ... I ... whatever**.**

* * *

**Tears of Hot Magma**

**

* * *

**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Rewind and freeze!" Brendan threw open the doors of the pokémon center, alarming several other pokémon trainers that were relaxing inside, and sprinted over to May's table. "What was that all about?" The boy trainer caught his breath and sat down next to May who scooted over to the edge of the booth, avoiding his eye contact. "Listen. I'm sorry about what I did even though I'm completely clueless about what happened. Forgive me?"

May frowned and turned her head the other way, ignoring the white-haired trainer. How dare he flirt with other girls and forget about her. Wait, though. Why did she care? It's not like Brendan and she were dating or anything. Ugh, so much drama – well, she supposed she caused most of it. No, now is not the time to act rational. Now was the time to act mad.

"Hello?" Brendan scooted closer to May and waved his hand in front of her face. "Anyone in there?" The boy trainer waved his hand even harder, finally ending it with knocking on May's forehead

"Will you _STOP_?" May was frustrated with Brendan's antics, grabbing Brendan's hand and slapping it on the table. "If you're trying to humor me, it's not working."

"Latios, May. All I'm trying to do is ask you to forgive me for whatever I did! Do you want me to go on one knee and beg you to forgive and forget?" Brendan pleaded, trying to look into May's eyes.

"It couldn't hurt."

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Save me, rayquaza."

"Just ... leave me alone, Brendan Birch," May muttered, looking out the window. She stared at her reflection, noticing her watery eyes. "I don't walk to talk to you right now. Just ... leave."

"You're being unreasonable, May."

"I don't care. Go away," May choked out as she closed her eyes in a thoughtful manner.

Brendan frowned, sliding out of the booth and leaning against the table, making it shake. "Fine. I'll be training outside."

"Training, huh?" May laughed mockingly. "What kind of 'training' is this? Training your eyes to look for the prettiest girl?"

Brendan sucked in his cheeks, trying to collect his anger. He walked to the doors. "You really want me to leave, huh? Because I can, if you really want. You can take of yourself just fine by now, right?" His hand ran down the cold glass of the door, leaving behind finger smudges.

May was silent, fighting back tears.

"Yeah, your silence answers that. Fine. I guess that we never will keep our promise now, huh? 'You've got my back and I've got yours.' What a joke."

May bit her lip and concentrated on the outside world that was beyond her reach.

"I guess now we don't get to be there when we need each other." Brendan knew he was being melodramatic, but he couldn't help it. "We won't be able to reach our dreams together. We won't be there to cheer each other on ..." he trailed off, turning his head slightly, watching May's movements as his finger grazed the bar of the door. He started talking again. "But I would never stop you from what you want, what you need to make you happy. Remember that." He placed both hands on the bar and took a final look at May. "Never thought things would turn out this way, but I knew it was too good to be true. Goodbye."

"Oh, come on, Brendan." Even May wasn't buying the fake drama speech the boy just spewed. She turned around toward the door, but he was gone, the door swinging back and forth. "Brendan ..." She couldn't help but let out a few tears from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks and dropping off her chin. Never had she felt so sad ... so alone. Was he really gone for good?

She waited for a bit, sitting at the booth, nervous, staring at the doors. Trainers came and went, but none of them were Brendan. Time ticked by, first in seconds, then minutes, and she finally realized that Brendan meant it; that really was their last goodbye. Giving up, she slid out of the booth and wiped at her cheeks where a saltine trail of tears dried. "Well, I guess that was goodbye," she said to herself, heading back outside. The doors swung close behind her as she looked to her left, and then her right, searching for the white-haired trainer. Where could he have gone? He wouldn't really leave her, would he?

"No," she assured herself. "He promised. He promised he'd always have my back, and I'll always have his. He wouldn't do that to me."

There was something self delusional about her statement, and May knew it. Still, she couldn't help but be hopeful as she tread in the direction the two came in, back into the falling ash. Her mind wandered, trailing back to where she first Brendan and their journeys together, and soon, she found herself outside the entrance of the Fiery Path. She didn't even remember walking through it or why she did. No Brendan yet.

As May walked forward back toward their campsite (her mind told her that maybe he would go back there for some reason), she peered inside the building of the cable cars. The guard was gone and was replaced with the receptionist sitting behind her desk and filing her nails. Curious, she entered the building and bought a ticket. Brendan was curious like her, right? Maybe he bought a ticket and was up at the top of ... Mount Chimney, was it? Yeah, she was pretty sure that was what Brendan told her.

She carefully got on the shaky cable car and sat down, her back pressing against the window. The door swung close on its own, and the cable car started to rumble before wheeling up the wire. May looked outside the window, mystified, as the car lifted outside from its gray, stone building and into the open sky. Everything looked so small from up here; May could see the tops of the pine trees, and the path that Brendan and herself traveled on looked so thin and tiny. The landscape in front of her soon became clouded with falling ash, and she assumed that they were closing in on Mount Chimney. The car entered another building, shuddering to a stop.

As May jumped out of the cable car and then out of the building, she noticed something ... odd – not that falling ash and volcanoes weren't odd to her being a Johto native and all. But there were people in red and black uniform up there. Lots of them. They seemed to be loitering around, talking amongst themselves. Still, May hid behind a tree and listened to the pair of uniformed men closest to her. "Why do they look so familiar?" she whispered to herself.

"So this is how we can turn the world into all land?" she heard one of the uniformed men ask the guy next to him.

"Yes," the other one replied. "Maxie says that if we reactivate the volcano of Mt. Chimney, molten lava will explode from it and eventually that will dry to make more land. Or something. I don't know; I really wasn't paying attention during the meeting. We just need a meteorite to power it."

"Ah, so that's where everyone else is. I was wondering about that."

"Maxie," she whispered to herself. She then snapped her fingers. "That's it. Maxie. He's the leader of Team Magma. So these guys must be ... Team ... Magma ... agents?" She pushed herself away from the tree as the two grunts approached her. She stumbled over her shoes but regained balanced, fumbling with a pokéball on her belt, scared.

"Well, lookie what we have here," muttered on the guards, pulling out his own pokéball. "It's a spy!"

"I'm not a spy!" argued May, quivering.

"Like that matters. You're here and you shouldn't be!" said the other guard. "Let's get her!"

May flinched, the bright bursts of light from the pokéballs contrasting against the red sky. When the light died down, she saw the forms of a zubat and a poochyena. In return, she sent out Flare and Skittles and got ready for battle herself, gulping down her nervousness. Latias she wished Brendan were here ...

* * *

"I can't believe she just got rid of me like that!" Brendan thundered, punching a rock wall. He then cried out loudly, pulling his arm back and sucking on his knuckles because of the pain. "She is so stubborn sometimes! I-I don't even know what to think about her now! Latios!" He dropped his arms, his knuckles red.

The marshtomp Brendan let out so he could vent looked up at his trainer, amused as he threw a rock up and down, catching it in the flat of his paw. "Then why don't you go back to her then?" Muddy asked. "From what you told me, it sounds like you got all over dramatic and told her you were leaving. She just told you to go away for now."

"I can't! It's not that simple," Brendan argued back like it were obvious. "She doesn't want me back, and I don't want to convince her to take me back! It's worthless trying to convince that stubborn girl."

"Speaking of stubborn," Muddy murmured to himself, dropping the rock to the ground.

Brendan heard a slight beeping coming from inside his pocket. "That's my pokénav. Maybe it's her," he stated, pulling the device out. He answered the phone call; there was no option for it to go to video. "Hello?"

There was static, hurting Brendan's ears, before a muffled voice asked, "Are you alone?"

Brendan hesitated before answering. "Well besides Muddy, my marshtomp–"

"Either yes or no."

"Y-yes?"

"Do you know a pokémon trainer named May?"

"Yes. Why?"

The voice ignored Brendan's question. "Do you care for her?"

More hesitation. "N – yes."

"Then listen carefully," the voice instructed. "May is in danger. She's okay for now, but she won't be if you don't hurry. She's at the top of Mount Chimney battling with a few Team Magma members. You do know what Team Magma is, right?"

Brendan's mind reveled over all the information, taking it all in. "Um, yeah, I think," he replied, his voice hoarse.

"Good. Now leave. Go!"

"But who are you? Hello?" There was a click, indicating that the stranger on the other side of the line disconnected the call. Brendan looked at his pokénav and scrolled through his recent calls, though the stranger left his number blocked. Brendan pocketed the device and started toward Fiery Path. "C'mon, Muddy!" He ran back toward the Fiery Path, leaving his confused marshtomp behind.

"What was that all about?" Muddy questioned, chasing after his trainer.

"May's in trouble! Let's go!"

* * *

"Thunderbolt, return!" May returned her second to last pokémon in a beam of red light. Her only pokémon left was Flare, and she was getting wearier by the minute. The girl trainer looked up and saw three pokémon glaring at her, a golbat, a poochyena, and a numel.

"Face it, girl! Give it up! You'll never win against all of us!" a Magma Grunt shouted.

"Just watch me," she muttered in a low voice. She focused her attention toward her combusken. "Flare! Fire Punch the zubat!"

Flare obeyed and used a fiery punch on zubat who screeched, losing his stability in the air. Flare, dropped to her knees, panting with exhaustion.

"Are you okay, Flare?" May asked worriedly.

The combusken merely nodded, turning her head and giving her trainer a weak smile.

"Looks like you could use some help!" someone said from behind May. She felt like she was hearing things; the voice was familiar and so comforting to hear.

"Brendan?" she said hopefully, turning around slowly. Sure enough, the white-haired, ruby-eyed trainer she had traveled with for so long was behind her, his arms crossed and cocky smirk on like always. He ran toward her, gasping for breath.

"That's my name; don't wear it out!" he declared, pulling out his own pokéball and tossing it in the air. "I told you Brendan Birch has got your back!" Brendan gave May a consoling pat on the shoulder, and May felt warm from his touch, knowing things would be okay. "Let's get 'em, Muddy!"

* * *

"You won this time, but we will beat you in the final battle!" the last Team Magma grunt cried, running away just like the rest of his team.

Brendan and May recalled their pokémon.

"Thanks, Brendan." May smiled as she looked down at the pokéball clutched in her hand. She could make out her reflection in the shiny reflection; she looked relieved. "Really, I mean it."

The boy clipped his pokéball back to his belt and looked up toward the red sky, a few flakes of ash falling onto his face. "No problem–" Brendan replied only to be interrupted by a hug, surprising him.

"I didn't know what I would have done without you!" May cried, hugging Brendan as a few salty tears dropped from her and fell onto his shirt, creating wet splotches.

Brendan stood there awkwardly and patted her back, his arms straight by his sides, unsure if he should hug back. "Oh, come on, May. Don't cry for me. You knew I'd never leave you ever."

May let go of Brendan and smiled weakly. "You're too modest, Brendan."

"Is that good?"

May hugged Brendan again. "Yes that's good. You're good, too."  
**  
**

* * *

Yes, I've been inspired by all the Hoennshippings out there ::_grins_::.

Yeah, that thing doesn't really happen in the game but I needed something for Brendan to come back.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 6/30/09**


	21. How the Shore Meets the Sea

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sirius: To?

SOMEONE!

Sirius: Not this again ...

Muddy: I'm afraid Breezy has finally lost it.

You said that once.

Muddy: I know. Guess what?

Flare: What?

Muddy: Chicken butt! Ahaha! It's funny because you're a chicken, and you have a butt!

Flare: -.-

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokémon. HOW MANY TIMES MUST I SAY IT?

* * *

**How the Shore Meets the Sea**

**

* * *

**

"I'm tired!" the boy declared, collapsing into an armchair back in the Fallabor pokémon center. "All that battling has worn me out, and then coming back and forth in that volcano ash and climbing Mount Chimney–"

"B Boy, the cable car re-opened," May pointed out, reclining in the armchair next to Brendan's. She squirmed around, trying to get comfy. "Anyway, um ... Thanks again for saving me up there. I really would have," she gulped at this, "probably would have been in deep trouble if you didn't."

"Of course. I am your knight-in-shining-armor after all," Brendan stated smugly, only to get flicked on the forehead. "Ow! I was just kidding! Geez, flicking hurts!"

May giggled, smiling warmly at Brendan. "Hey, how did you know that I was in trouble?" she asked, clinging onto the arm of the chair. She ran her fingers up and down the rough cloth. "Did you hear me scream all the way down here or something?"

"I'm Superman, remember?" Brendan said a little bit arrogantly only to get punched on the arm. "What? You know I'm kidding."

May rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well ... Now what?"

Good question. While Brendan and May battled a few of the Team Magma grunts, he was pretty sure that most of the grunts flocked back if not heightened security. Going back up the cable cars seemed unlikely, so Lavaridge was out of the question still. The boy couldn't help but wonder what Team Magma was up to. Unlike May, who was horrified when she told him of Team Magma's plan, Brendan seemed strangely curious. Intrigued, even. He never really thought of them as evil. Team Rocket from Kanto was evil; they used pokémon as tools of war. But Team Magma ... All they tried to do, so far, was benefit all living creatures. What exactly was bad about wanting to create more land? Hoenn was crowded enough as it is.

"Brendan?" Brendan's thoughts were interrupted as May shoved a pokéball in his face. It was worn out and scratched a bit at the top; Muddy's pokéball. He took it in his hands, running his fingers down its smooth surface, before clipping it back to his belt, May doing the same with her own balls.

"Did you hear me?" the girl asked, admiring the row of pokéballs along her hips.

He nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking about it. Since Lavaridge seems out of the question, we can take some time to go sight seeing and train a bit. Lavaridge also has a new gym leader, and I heard she's pretty tough."

"But we're, like, in the middle of no where. Where else can we go?"

Brendan thought about what was in the area. The pokémon coordinator building, obviously, but he doubted there was a contest today. They could visit that creepy, old man that lived in the ashes, but that didn't sound really appealing either. His mind trailed back to trainer school when he was in geography class. What was there around Fallabor besides nature ... and more nature ... and then after that, some more nature.

Of course; nature.

"I know where we can visit. I think you'll like it, too." He got up from his seat, the cushion of his chair rising up as well. He turned back around, noticing May was still sitting down, comfortable. "Well? Are you coming or not?"

May smiled a trade-mark "Brendan smirk," standing up and stretching her arms above her head. She followed him outside the pokémon center, enjoying the warm wind against her open skin. "I'm coming. Cool your jets, old man."

"Hey, just because my hair color is the color white doesn't mean you can rag on me about it!" Brendan groaned, covering his hair with his hands. "At least my hair is white and clean looking while yours looks like you rolled in torkoal shi – shins! Not the shins!" he wailed as May kicked him hard in the shinbone.

May smiled innocently, standing on her tippy toes, her hands behind her back. "Now what were you saying?"

Brendan hopped, trying to rub his leg with a hand. "Nothing, ma'am."

"Good."

Brendan let go of his leg, putting it down firmly on the ground, and motioned toward the opposite path before walking toward it, May by his side. Unlike Mauville, where it was apparent that the city ended once the concrete subsided from the dirt path, Fallabor blended in with its natural surroundings perfectly. The same trees that were dotted in the small town were still littered about the nature-made path, unlike other cities who had to plant their trees. A peaceful river, complete with waterfall, hugged the land, and whistling taillow chirped in the tall evergreens. Thick, wild grass sprouted everywhere, enveloping the land in greenery.

"Is this the place?" May said in complete awe, running ahead toward the river. She peered into it, staring at her wavy reflection. "I love it, Brendan."

Brendan caught up to her, his hands in his pockets. "Nope. We're close, though." He nudged his head to the side. "This way."

May took one final look at the waterfall, occasionally feeling the light spray from it, before reluctantly turning around to chase after Brendan, walking by his side again. They walked knee deep in long grass, walking past several trainers that were hunched over, looking for wild pokémon. The boy helped May climb up a steep incline that eventually lead to a dark cave. Somehow he knew he would have trouble getting her to go inside.

"This is your surprise?" she asked in disbelief. "Haha. Really funny, Brendan."

"I'm serious, May." Brendan tried to push the girl lightly in, but she stood firm. "You'll love it. I promise. It's like ... two times better than that other waterfall we just saw."

"I hate caves. You know that."

"No, you hate the dark. You hate caves because you hate the dark."

"Hence the statement of I hate caves."

Brendan pulled his backpack around and pulled out his flashlight, handing it to May. "Here. You'll feel better if you have this then. Now get in there. Get down and dirty–" He wasn't sure what happened after that as May whacked him against the head with a closed fist. Dazed, the boy shook his head, trying to shake away the stars that blurred his visions.

"Pervert," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"I didn't mean it like that!" he replied sharply. He reached over and turned the flashlight on for May. "Don't be such a baby, May. I swear you'll love it."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll buy you another pokedoll."

May frowned stubbornly, glancing at the cave entrance with fear and curiosity. "Fine, I'll go in," she sighed, giving in, "seeing as I have no choice but to head forward since of that dumb sandstorm. You're going in first, though." She walked behind Brendan and pushed him forward with her foot.

"Ow!" Brendan complained as he was forced into the cave, stumbling over his feet. His eyes had to stop and focus for a bit, due to the sudden change in light, but once they did, he marveled at his surroundings. Twin waterfalls fell from the cliff side, falling into a clear, crystal pool. The cry of the lone zubat rung throughout the cave, and the smell of wet earth filled his nostrils. The dirt seemed otherworldly, grounded finely and colored a distinct brownish-red and it sparkled like bits of silver glitter were thrown about. Brendan wasn't sure what light source made the cavern sparkle so mysteriously, but he wasn't going to complain either.

"Welcome to Meteor Falls," he announced as May stood behind him, clinging to his arm like always whenever they entered a cave.

"... Wow," May managed to gasp out, staring at the waterfalls with bright eyes. "So tranquil! So romantic." She eyed Brendan, fluttering her eyes. He gulped in return.

"Er ...yeah."

May laughed softly and made her way past Brendan toward one of the waterfalls, her skin becoming moist the closer she got. She bent over a bit, gazing into the water, making out the silhouette of a heart-shaped fish she hadn't seen before. Surely enough, another heart-shaped fish swam to the other one. Her eyes then trailed toward the coastline, and she noticed a crest-shaped, black rock in the water that glinted in the light. Bending over further, she picked it up, the rock slippery. Curious about what the pokémon was and whatever stone she just found, she stood back up, turning around to face Brendan.

"Hey, B Boy!" she said, waving her hand that held the stone. "Come here! I want you to see something!" The girl noticed that Brendan seem distracted, his hands still in his pockets, looking down toward the cavern below.

Brendan watched in wonderment, staring downward, not noticing that the girl was calling his name. His eyes were fixated on a group of people, clad mostly in red and black, and they were digging with shovels. He also noticed a man in a lab coat who was wringing his hands nervously. Someone yelled, followed by whoops by the rest of the group, and then a distressed cry from the man in the lab coat. The group of people in red and black hurried up the cliff side before the man in the lab coat could react, one of them clutching something in his hands. They brushed past Brendan, not giving him a second thought. So much seemed to happen in such a little amount of time, barely giving Brendan time to register it in his mind. Meteor Falls ... so that must mean there's meteors in here, obviously. That man in a lab coat is obviously a scientist. Perhaps he studies meteorites? He guessed Team Magma used him to find them a meteorite for them. Tricked him, possibly, due to the sheer distraught on his face. That meteorite would be used to activate whatever machine May told him about when she eavesdropped on those Team Magma grunts.

The girl's soft voice brought him back to reality. "Who was that? They looked like Team Magma members," she muttered, standing next to Brendan and looking down the cavern with him. She noticed the large, gaping holes that littered the bottom level. "What were they doing here?"

Brendan knew but decided not to answer for fear of upsetting the girl. "I don't know," he lied. He nudged his head toward the scientist. "Come on. Let's go check if that guy is all right."

May nodded in agreement, carefully stepping down the steep decline, grabbing onto Brendan's hand so he could help her. Slowly, the two slid down, reaching the bottom level where the scientist was pacing back and forth, his hands over his face. He was muttering to himself.

"Excuse me, sir," May remarked politely, causing the man to jump back in surprise. "Are you ... okay?"

"That meteorite," he muttered more to himself than to May. "I needed that meteorite and they just ... they just took it from before I knew it. Why? Why would they do that?"

"Who is they? Team Magma?" May questioned.

The scientist nodded, beginning to pace back and forth again, adjusting the glasses that slipped from the bridge of his nose. "Yes. They told me they needed it for research, but they just took it! Snatched it away! I have no idea why."

May looked at him worriedly before nudging Brendan in the arm. "Well?" she demanded. "Are you going to say something or what?"

Brendan seemed to be lost in thought again, something May quickly got used to. "There's some people in blue uniforms coming this way," he finally muttered. "And fast, too."

The girl looked in Brendan's direction, noticing the group as well. "This way, Archie!" she heard one of the men cry, motioning his arm in the direction Team Magma went. The man in front nodded, dressed better than the two other trainers behind him, picking up the pace. He was a tall yet muscular man, revealing his chest through an open-button, navy blue t-shirt. A blue bandanna embroidered with a strange symbol was tied around his forehead, hiding his hair. He rubbed his chiseled jaw thoughtfully, his fingers brushing past his goatee.

"Are you sure?" the man in front questioned, stepping past a hole with ease. The silver dog tags around his neck hit him in the chest lightly.

The trainer behind him nodded. "Positive. I guess they found what they needed, though, since they're gone now."

"Perhaps." The man named Archie looked ahead and noticed the two trainers ahead, both looking at him mystified. "Let's ask them." He walked toward May and Brendan, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "Did you see a group of people dressed in red and black pass through here?" he inquired in a pleasant voice.

Brendan shrugged as May quickly nodded. "Yeah! They went that way!" She pointed toward the other exit. Noticing their weird, pirate-like attire, she couldn't help but ask, "Who are you guys?"

"Team Aqua," quickly replied the trainer behind Archie. "We're trying to put a stop to Team Magma's plans."

Archie nodded in agreement. "That's right. Team Magma has shown no mercy lately, and they'll do whatever it takes to get their goals accomplished, even if it means destroying the habitat of water pokémon. That is why we, Team Aqua, are trying to stop their plans."

May nodded. "You know, I overheard from some Team Magma grunts that they were trying to activate some machine that would cause Mount Chimney to activate."

Archie raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Yes, that's right. That's why we tried to get here as soon as we could. We heard that the only thing they needed to activate the machine was a meteorite." He looked at gaping holes with disdain. "I guess they found one." The leader of Team Aqua quickly shook his head. "Ah, this is no time for chit-chat." He turned to the people behind him and nodded. "Let's go!" And like that, the men hurried up the scaled up the steep incline, running toward the entrance of the cave.

May scratched her head and hesitantly murmured, "Bye," as she waved them off.

"I suppose I should go, too," muttered the man in the lab coat. "No point staying here now that the meteorite is gone." He sighed again, his head bowed down as he walked toward the exit.

The girl was distraught as she turned toward Brendan, her delicate hands clenched into fists. "Team Magma is horrible," she murmured. "They don't care about who they hurt. More land for more habitat. What a load of bull."

"How do we know that Archie isn't the one lying?" Brendan replied quickly but thoughtfully. His mind reveled over Team Magma's plans. "I mean ... Habitat is habitat, after all."

"But imagine it, Brendan!" she cried, waving her arms in the air. Her voice echoed in the cave. "Homes of water pokémon could be destroyed if they go through with their plans! Not only that, but land that is already formed could be caught up in the lava that Mount Chimney would spew. Fallabor would surely be caught in its wake!"

Brendan knew she was right, but he couldn't help disagreeing with her. Nevertheless, he knew that it was a bad time to argue with her. "I'm going to ... get some fresh air, okay?" he choked out, walking toward the exit. May didn't follow him, fuming a bit. Did Brendan really think that Team Magma was good after all that? He must be nuts.

The girl sat on the bottom step of the nature made steps, admiring the rock she held in her right hand. Its shiny, black surface glinted in the light. She forgot to ask Brendan what it was. It looked special.

"It's a moonstone," someone from behind answered for her. She heard the crunching of pebbles underneath thick boots as the person descended down the stairs, sitting next to her. "It helps certain species of pokémon evolve. You know, the moon controls hide tide at oceans."

May turned her head swiftly. "Archie?" she questioned. "What are you doing back here?"

The Team Aqua leader shrugged. "I'm curious about you," he remarked, looking at her thoughtfully. May stared into the older man's eyes; they were deep and blue like hers. "You're that girl that defeated a few Team Magma members at Mount Chimney, weren't you? I heard about it from my admins."

May rubbed the back of her neck nervously, staring at the rock in her hand. "Well, I didn't want to battle them, honestly. I just wanted to get to Lavaridge, so I took the cable car up and spotted them there. Well, they spotted me, really. It's terrible what they're doing." Her fingers curled up around the moonstone as she shivered, the wet earth sinking into her biker shorts. "I just hope that no one gets hurt."

Archie nodded, his finger wrapping around his chains. "I hope so, too. That's why we need people like you on Team Aqua, May. Compassionate people. People that care not only for the things on land, but the things in the sea as well. What do you think? Would you like to join our alliance?"

The question came so sudden. May didn't know what to do. "But what about my travels? My friends? My pokémon?"

"Ah, May. I don't want to be the force that stops you from your dreams," Archie replied quietly. "However, we could use our ally like you. You don't need to join, of course, but if you're in the area and Team Magma is causing havoc, it'd be nice if we had someone kind and compassionate on our side.

It was sweet talk. Pure, buttery sweet talk. She knew it, too, but fell for it anyway. Team Magma made her that angry. "Well, sure. Why not? Maybe I'll help save the world, huh?" May laughed as she took out a piece of paper and pen from her fanny pack and scribbled her pokénav number on it. "That's my pokénav number, so just call me if you need help with anything, and I'll get there somehow."

"Thanks," Archie sighed in relief as he wrote down his own pokénav number and handed it to May. "We really need some strong member like you." He stood up, shaking his legs a bit. "I better get going. I have to meet up with my team again. Goodbye, May, and good luck!"

"You, too, Archie," the girl replied softly, staring at Archie's number. "I just hope I'm not making a huge mistake."

* * *

He needed this; he needed the air, the space away from May. So much happened in such a small amount of time, and it wore him out emotionally. He got in one of his first huge fights with May. He then had to rescue her. He then reconciled with her at one of the most romantic places in Hoenn. And then there was Team Magma who apparently took off with a meteorite. There was something about the mountain air, though. It cleared his head, made the butterflies in his stomach go away. He closed his eyes, lifting his arms, the wind making the sleeves of his shirt flap backward.

And like that, a cool voice made reality crash back down. "Don't you just love the way mountain air feels in the afternoon?"

Brendan's eyes snapped open, recognizing the voice. Quickly pulling out a pokéball, he spun around, noticing the tall, elegant form of Maxie glide over toward him, one hand thrust inside the coat of his jacket. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, stepping back a bit.

Maxie shook his head. "Don't get so riled up, Brendan my boy," he replied, his voice smooth like before.

Everything seemed to go in fast forward. Even his words seemed sped up. "What are you doing at Mount Chimney? Why do you need that meteorite? What's going on?" His demanding questions came out in a rushed blur, sounding more childlike than threatening.

Maxie gave a swift motion of his hand. "A little bit of this. A little bit of that. What have you heard?"

"You're using some machine using the power of that meteorite or something to reactive Mount Chimney. Is that right?"

Maxie nodded.

"But why?" Brendan asked, shocked. "Don't you know what that can do to the sea? The homes in Fallabor? All the nature in the area? It'll burn it down to a crisp!"

"Compared to it erupting naturally, Mr. Birch?" Maxie quickly argued back. "That volcano has been under pressure for decades. Imagine if it exploded on its own accord ... All the lava it would spew. It would surely destroy more than the Fallabor area, I'll tell you that. This way, though," his eyes went distant, "if we force the Mount Chimney to explode and in an controlled environment, we'll be able to protect these homes, these pokémon."

Brendan nodded, believing every word. What he said made sense.

"That Team Aqua leader has been spewing his lies to you, hasn't he?"

This got Brendan's attention. "Um, I did run into him, and he did tell me things."

"Don't believe them," Maxie snapped. He then quickly readjusted the collar of his dark red jacket. "They're liars. Cheap, nasty liars. They always over exaggerate our causes, making us look like the bad guys. But it is them that are the bad guys, Brendan. Do you know what they tried to do before?"

Brendan shook his head.

"They tried to flood the land," the leader hissed. "Drown the Hoenn region in water, just for the better of water pokémon. They don't care about their fellow humans, or the pokémon that can't live in water. So selfish. So unnecessary." He walked closer to Brendan, whispering in his ear. "You don't want that, do you?"

That voice ... he recognized it again. "You called me," he murmured. "Earlier today to tell me about my friend."

Maxie smirked, putting his hands behind his back. "I'm glad you pieced it together. Yes, I am the one that called you."

"But why would you want me to defeat your own team?"

"Because I wanted to see how you battle. I saw you on the Gabby and T.Y. report yesterday. You're a hardcore trainer. I also wanted to see if you were loyal toward your friend. It turns out you are. We need you someone like you on our team. Loyal, powerful ... Good qualities. Join me, Brendan. Join my team and me. We could do wonders to this region together."

Brendan bought it hook, line and sinker. He was already convinced anyway, even without Maxie flattering him. "Okay. I'll join," Brendan agreed. At this, Maxie handed him a piece of paper that had his pokénav number on it.

"I already have your number," Maxie muttered, watching Brendan stare at the piece of paper. "I'll be seeing you later, Brendan." With a swift nod, the leader descended down the cliff. Brendan watched his tall form turn into a black silhouette, which then faded away into nothing the further he walked away.

"See you!" Brendan called back, shoving the paper into his pocket. "I just hope I'm not making a huge mistake or worse – getting May angry at me again." He gulped. "I really don't need that." The white-haired trainer shuddered as he walked back into the cave.

* * *

Brendan noticed May sitting at the foot of the nature made staircase as soon as he reentered the cave, noticing the mystified look on her face. Curious, he slowly made his way toward her and sat down next to her, noticing the stone clutched in her left hand and the piece of paper in her right. "What's that?"

May quickly shoved the piece of paper in the pocket of her fanny pack. "Ah, trash," she answered hastily.

"Well, I meant the rock."

"Oh. A moonstone." She held it up, letting specs of light reflect on it. "I found it in the water."

"You know, your skitty evolves into a delcatty using a moonstone," Brendan remarked.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Good to know." She put the rock inside her fanny pack as she turned her head toward Brendan, noticing his wrinkled forehead and the worry in his eyes. "Is something wrong?" May asked quietly.

Brendan gulped. It was better to tell her now than later. "I have a confession," he admitted. "And I'm pretty sure you're not going to like it. But this is my choice, okay? I'm not going to change my mind no matter what you say."

May shifted uncomfortably, looking at her shoes. "You're making me worry, Brendan."

"I know. That's why I should tell you now." Brendan swallowed the lump in his throat. "I ... I saw Maxie outside just now."

This got May's attention. She turned her head toward Brendan. "And?" she demanded.

"And ... he asked me to join Team Magma."

"You better have said no," she muttered angrily.

Brendan licked his dry lips, trying to build up saliva. "Not exactly, May. In fact, I said quite the opposite."

May's eyes went wide and she grabbed Brendan's hands. "You didn't! You didn't join Team Magma, did you?" she cried, holding on tighter to his hands. Tears began to fill her eyes. "Tell me this is a joke, B Boy. You really can't be with them." Her voice began to crack, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

This was new; in fact, he would have taken an angry rampage over May crying. It tore at his heart strings, seeing her cry like that. "May, stop," he pleaded, pulling one hand away to wipe at her tears. "Don't cry. This isn't something to cry over."

"Yes it is!" she sobbed, sniffling loudly. "Tell me you're lying. Tell me that this is joke. Tell me you didn't join Team Magma."

All of these demands were things that he couldn't fulfill, and he turned his head away. He still could hear her sobs, and it tore him up inside. "May, this is something I believe in," he whispered, his throat dry. "I believe I'm doing something good for this world. You don't have to support me. I just ... I just want you to understand that I really believe in this cause."

May let out a shuddered breath, causing her sobs to cease. "I don't believe in it, though. And I will never, ever like it."

"I know, May."

She let out a playful snort. "Be glad I like you that much."

"I am."

May pushed him teasingly, and Brendan did the same. Smiling smugly, the girl pushed him forward, causing him to flop on his belly onto the earth. She giggled as Brendan rolled over onto his back, staring at her.

"Funny," he muttered. He sat up, a mischievous grin on his face, and before May knew it, Brendan pulled her down on top of him. Immediately she sat up, her eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Oh, just getting you back, I suppose," he replied. "I thought it'd be fun."

She smiled, as she placed her hands on Brendan's shoulders to prevent escape. "Not fun now, is it?" Her hair draped around his head like a tent, and he looked up into May's eyes. They looked so blue in the dim light of the cave. He could hear her gentle breathing, her lips partially open. Her lips looked so pink, so soft.

"Yep. Fun," he repeated, his hand running down the side of his backpack, groping for something.

"And why is that?"

Brendan's head arched up and came closer to May's face. She eyed him, confused as he his face got closer and closer ...

"What are you doing, Brendan?" she managed to whisper.

"This." He stopped a few centimeters away from May's face and squirted water from his water bottle toward her. "Gotcha!" He laughed, getting out of May's grasp and running out toward the exit.

"Brendan Birch, you get back here!"  
**  
**

* * *

LaTeR dAyZ! Thanks for reviewing!

**Last Revision: 7/1/09**


	22. Rivals At Our Own Game

I have the worst headache in the world right now.

Muddy: JOY TO THE WORLD! Something good finally happened!

:_sneezes_: And I'm sick now.

Muddy: PARTY!

Shaddup.

Muddy: Blah.

Blah?

Muddy: Yes, blah.

Whatever.

* * *

**Rivals at Our Own Game**

**

* * *

**

The words that came out of May's mouth didn't surprise him. "I hate you," she muttered as she pulled out a dry washcloth from her fanny pack, rubbing it against her face.

"I love you, too," he dryly replied, looking into the distance. They were near the cliff side, and he could hear the ocean waves crash against the hard rock, occasionally sending up a light burst of spray. "You owe me a new bottle of water, by the way. I used it all when splashing you."

"I don't owe you anything. You didn't have to spray me, you know," the girl said hastily. She threw her damp washcloth as Brendan's face, letting out a giggle at his disdained look as the towel slid down, dropping onto the floor. He picked it up, shook it a few times to get rid of the dirt that caught in it before sliding it into an open pocket in his backpack.

"Fine. If you stop being bratty about it, we'll go back to Fallabor and I'll buy you ice cream," he offered.

"I do like ice cream ..." she said dreamily. "Fine. I want two scoops, though."

"Just a tad hungry aren't you?" Brendan noticed May's angry glare. "Shutting up now."

"You better."

There was a loud beep coming from the pokenav clipped to May's fanny pack belt as the two reentered Meteor Falls. While the cave was still beautiful and the sound of the waterfall colliding with the water below was peaceful, the message on her device had more of her attention. The message was urgent but simple: Get to back to Mount Chimney. We really need your help. Of course; Archie.

May almost stumbled, not noticing the staircase, and Brendan quickly grabbed her by the arm so she wouldn't fall forward.

"What are you reading, May? Who's that from?" The girl felt Brendan's hot breath against the nape of her neck, sending shivers up her spine as the two climbed up the staircase that lead back toward Meteor Falls entrance.

She shut her pokenav off quickly, creating more suspicion. "No one," she quickly replied, hooking it back to her fanny pack.

"Is it Wally again?"

"No. I'm not sure why you have an odd obsession over him."

"I don't! I just ... it's really ... you know he likes ... Never mind."

May watched as Brendan turned his head away, though it was impossible to miss the flushness that made its way to his face. Why was he blushing? Why was he flustered? Thoughts about Brendan began to race through her mind, pushing the Team Aqua message out of her head, if only for a quick second. He was acting different around her. Well, not different. Just ... nicer. He hadn't called her "girl" for awhile, and he's been actually helping her get around tough obstacles instead of making fun of her for it. She changed, too. She wouldn't even let Brendan within a ten foot radius before, let alone touch her arm, grab her by the hand, _breathe_ on her, even. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all. Even though he is cocky, something that she was sure would never change, he was still a good boy. And the cockiness kind of grew on her. It was pretty endearing. Charming, in a queer sense. They haven't been traveling long – only a couple of months or so – but she felt so ... comfortable with him now. It was nice.

"May?"

She blinked out of her thoughts as Brendan waved a hand in front of her face. When did they pass through the route that lead back to Fallabor Town? Was she that lost in thought?

"Hmm?" she replied, eyes shining in the light of the sunset. The red rays of sunlight made her hair look like it was tinted with red.

Brendan nudged his head to the building they were in front of, an ice cream parlor made out of the same wooden planks the rest of the town was built in. May could smell the sweetness of the sugary treat seep it ways through the cracks of the door, making her stomach rumble. And yet she was in panic; she had to help Archie. There was no time for ice cream.

The boy grabbed the metal bar of the door and pushed his back against it, the cold of the glass pressing against the thin cloth of his sweater, allowing May to enter first. He then looked down after hearing his pokenav beep a few times and picked it out of his pocket, opening the new message he received. As expected, it was from Maxie: Come to Mount Chimney A.S.A.P! That infuriating Team Aqua is trying to ruin our plans.

"Mmm," he murmured, licking his lips, his head still bent down. May looked at him curiously as he snapped his pokenav shut and pocketed it. "Hey listen, May–"

"I'm not that hungry anymore," she interrupted, gripping her stomach, her eyes narrowed a bit in queasiness. "The smell is kind of making me feel sick, and Meteor Falls made me cold. I don't think ice cream would help. I might ... um ... go to the pokémon center for a bit and rent a room for the night, if that's okay. I kind of just want to lie down."

Things couldn't have worked out better. Thank god for womanly issues.

May raised an eyebrow at the odd expression that crossed Brendan's face at his last thought. "Brendan?"

"Ah, right. That's fine, May. I might just go train then." Brendan closed the door of the ice cream parlor, the cold air of the building brushing through his hair, causing him to shiver. He motioned toward the waterfall up ahead on the path. "Sapphire really needs to work on her underwater tactics now, and Muddy will like it for sure. He also needs to work on his swimming skills."

She nodded, going ahead toward the pokémon center. "So, um, I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Brendan waved at her as May looked back, unsure. "Just call me if you need anything."

"Okay," she replied softly, the same look of distress on her face. Slowly, she turned her head back toward the front, her eyes fixated on the doors of the pokémon center. She knew better. She knew Brendan was heading toward Mount Chimney. That Maxie was probably the one that messaged him right now. That was just fine; she was going there, too. Well, as soon as Brendan was a good distance away.

May sat at the window inside the pokémon center and looked outside toward the mountain range. The sun was beginning to set, the colors a blend of orange and red, something that would only be seen in a cowboy movie. The clouds were clear albeit the tiny dot of cloud, minuscule to the rest of the canvas. It was such a pretty day, and it would have been such a nice day, too, if Team Magma didn't get involved. It was actually rather sweet that Brendan showed her Meteor Falls and that he helped her get to it in the first place. This was the first time May felt any sort of ... feeling toward Brendan. So strange, so bizarre ...

No, he was a jerk. You can't fall for him.

And yet ...

May pressed her hand against the window and slowly trailed it down, leaving behind streaks. She looked down the trail that lead to the waterfall; no Brendan, but she expected it. He wouldn't be training there. He went to Mount Chimney. This is why she couldn't – or shouldn't – like Brendan. It just bewildered her how he thought Team Magma's cause was right. Did that make her right, though? Was joining Team Aqua hypocritical?

Shaking her head, the girl trainer got up and exited the pokémon center, breathing in the fresh air. That was enough time to give Brendan enough lead. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see him there.

* * *

The storm of falling ashes was thicker than usual. In fact, Brendan had to shield his eyes from the flying ashes as he looked around, trying to find Maxie or some sort of leader so he could figure out what he was supposed to do. The sky was smoky and dark red, and dead trees littered the battlefield, the fine and dusty dirt coating his legs in a thin powder.

He had to dodge quickly to avoid a couple of poochyena that were tackling each other, each commanded by a Team Aqua and Magma grunt. The further he walked up, the hotter he got, though he wasn't sure if this was because he was nervous or because he was getting closer to the center of the mountain. After a good amount of walking, running, and jumping over things, Brendan finally saw Maxie heavily guarded by a few of his admins.

"Maxie!" he yelled, trying to run toward him. He was stopped by a few of the admins, pushing him in the chest to move him back.

"Watch it, punk!" the admin that pushed him snarled. "Sir, what do we do this kid? He just came wandering here."

"He's with us," coolly replied Maxie, his hands turning knobs on a strange machine ahead. The machine made buzzing noises, and Brendan could see the meteorite contained in a glass holder. It vibrated and seemed to be glowing red. "Give him something to separate him from the others. If those goody-goody Team Aqua members see him, they'll probably try to pull him away."

The admin pressed his hands against his body, trying to search for something, before pulling off the bandanna connected to his belt loop. He forced it into Brendan's hand, the cloth a little scratchy. "Put it on," he ordered.

Brendan flapped the bandanna in the air, observing it. It was the same colors as the one he was wearing now – red and black – but the back color was red while the symbol, a weird M shape, was black with red stitching. His fingers pulled off his old bandanna and pocketed it, quickly tying the Team Magma bandanna around his head. "Er, now what?" he asked meekly.

"Battle any Team Aqua member that comes this way," was the swift reply from Maxie who had not looked up from the machine.

With a nod, Brendan ran ahead and waited with the rest of the grunts, pokéball in hand. As he waited, his mind couldn't help but think about May. She'd be disappointed in him. Probably mad at him, too, if she knew he was here. But this was his choice. This was what he believed in.

The boy got ready as a few Team Aqua grunts marched up the slope.

* * *

"Oh, why did I come here?" May whined, sitting behind a boulder, her knees pressed up against her chest. She let out a loud squeak as she heard a loud explosion; was the volcano exploding? No, it couldn't be; Maxie wasn't that cold. He wouldn't activate the volcano with this many people here. Then again, he didn't really seem to care who he was hurting period since he was going through with this insane plan.

Another load of Team Aqua members ran up a steep incline. One of them noticed May hiding behind the rock. "Little girl, are you lost?" she asked, the partner next to her stopping as well.

"Little?" she shouted, hopping onto her knees, her hands clenching into fists.

"Nah. This is that girl from earlier. The one we met in Meteor Falls, remember?" the other member reminded.

"Ah, right. Archie was raving about her earlier and raving more about you actually helping us." The girl Team Aqua agent rolled her eyes. "I have no idea why. Listen here, girly. If you think you can get Archie to like you just because you just joined his team, don't even try; he's not ever going to be interested on this team ever." She gave a hopeless sigh, her eyes cast toward the floor.

The partner next to her simply shook his head and pulled out a spare bandanna from the back of his pocket. "Well, you were called here for a reason, and that was to help, wasn't it?" He threw the bandanna toward her, and she caught it in her hand. "So help."

"How?" May asked, pulling off her bandanna and tying on the new one.

"Getting to Maxie and stopping him," replied the girl agent like it were obvious. "Of course, rookies like us aren't going to get near him, so we're mostly just distracting the Team Magma underlings."

May gave a nod as the two other Team Aqua grunts ran ahead, pokéball in hand. Like them, May pulled out her own ball as well and chased after them, ready to face the onslaught of Team Magma members.

* * *

Brendan watched as Muddy hurled out sticky, gooey mud at a Team Aqua member's poochyena. The canine howled, the heavy mud hardening on his skin in the hot, dry weather, and his opponent quickly redrew his pokémon and ran away. The boy laughed at the sight, throwing Muddy's pokéball in the air and catching it.

"You're doing great, Muddy!" Brendan cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "That's, like, the third Team Aqua Ggunt we beat!"

The marshtomp didn't reply as he collapsed onto his knees, his face twisting in sickness and his skin turning a pale shade of blue. He clutched at his stomach, his eyes clenched shut. "I don't feel so good," Muddy groaned, sweat running down forehead. He wiped at the beads with his paw, only for more to come running down.

Brendan ran to his pokémon's side, dropping onto his knees and rubbing Muddy's back soothingly. "Did I make you battle too much?" he asked worriedly.

Muddy put a paw up, dropping onto all fours like he was back in his first form. "No. I just have this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach–" White light bathed over Muddy before he could finish his sentence. Brendan watched in awe as his little marshtomp grew into something ... bigger. He still had the same rubbery, blue and orange skin, of course, and was still able to stand on his hind legs, but it was formed over a taller, more muscular structure. Large, gray fins decorated his back and head, the fins leading toward his bright, orange eyes. His tail was thicker, something the boy was sure would help the pokémon with while swimming.

The pokémon was still panting, the evolution taking a toll on his energy. "Am I ... a ... what am I?" he managed to gasp out. "S-swampert?"

Brendan nodded, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Wow ..."

* * *

"Flare! Use Fire Punch now!" May commanded.

The combined elements of lava and ash powered up Flare as she charged toward her enemy, a golbat, her right claw thrust backward, flames licking the tips. Snarling, she punched the bat right in the head, sending him flying back into the arms of the Team Magma grunt. Screeching at his defeat, the grunt quickly returned his fallen pokémon and ran in the other direction.

"Yay! Good job, Flare!" May cried, running up to her pokémon and squeezing her tight.

Flare would have usually loved the attention, but the hug made her feel sick. She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath, pushing her trainer away. "May, I'm not feeling so hot ..." she muttered, coughing and clawing at the ground.

May looked at her pokémon anxiously. "Do you need a super potion or something?" She trailed off as she saw bright, white light blanket over Flare, and she quickly stumbled back, her blue eyes wide. When the light died down minutes later, Flare was a changed pokémon. Instead of her smaller combusken frame, the tall, lean flame of a blaziken, Flare's final evolution, took her place. Flames licked at her gray, sharp claws, and bright reddish-orange and yellow feathers decorated her body. Her eyes were blue and gleaming, and the tip of her beak was adorned with a sharp, v-like decoration. Slicked back tan feathers started at the top of her head and trailed down toward her chest.

The newly evolved pokémon stood back up, a good foot or so above her head. "May?" Flare asked, looking at her claws while standing up, not used to her tall height. She wobbled a bit, trying to gain balance.

May just nodded, her eyes wide, her mouth wide open.

* * *

"They just won't stop coming!" shouted one of the grunts, his zubat biting into the wing of a wingull. The bird squawked, flapping her wings, trying to shake her opponent off.

Brendan was down on one knee, scratching his poochyena behind the ear. The canine let out a low growl from the back of his throat, his back leg pounding the floor, his tail wagging back and forth happily. He quickly got back up as one of the admins glared at him, Sirius jumping out in front of him, snarling. Another couple of Team Aqua grunts came charging up, and each free Team Magma grunt quickly entered battle. Brendan looked around and saw the figure of another Team Aqua grunt come charging up. She was adorned with Team Aqua's infamous blue bandanna, of course, but there was something familiar about her. Blue eyes, brown hair, red shirt, black biker shorts, long, long legs ... Ah, crap. It was May.

Wait, May? What was she doing here? Why was she still coming this way, pokéball in hand? Why wasn't she stopping?

"Birch, stop her!" barked one of the grunts as she ran past him, turning his attention back toward the battle.

He couldn't battle May. Not here, anyway. Not while he was sporting a Team Magma bandanna. That would just anger her more. Yet the girl wouldn't stop running, her eyes fixated on him. She wanted to battle him? Really?

Or maybe not. She tore her eyes away from him as she tried to run past him toward the group of crowded admins, but Brendan quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back, hearing her gasp.

"You're not suppose to be here," he muttered, his grip firm on the squirming girl.

"Neither are you," she growled back, trying to pry her arm free by using her other hand. "Let me go!"

"No."

May's fingernails dug into his hand the more she tried to free herself. "Stop it! Let go!"

"What is she? Your girlfriend? Get her out of here!" One of the admins was watching Brendan and May and barked orders.

Brendan nodded and tried to step forward in an attempt to drag the girl with him, but the girl held her ground and refused to be moved. Again, Brendan put more force in his pull (he didn't want to hurt her, though) but May stood firm, her eyes narrowed.

"If you won't let go, then I'll make you!" May's free hand reached toward her belt and unclipped a pokéball. She threw it toward the ground, releasing a kitten pokémon, her red ears pointed up as they twitched. She swatted a few ashes away with her thick tail, her usually cute, petite face twisted into a disgusted one. "Doubleslap him, Skittles!"

The skitty mewed and swung her tail a bit before whacking Brendan in the shinbone with it, causing the boy to shriek and release May from her grip. Immediately, May ran toward the admins with Skittles on her heels, but Brendan, quickly thinking, demanded, "Sirius, Bite on Skittles!"

This stopped May in her tracks. She turned around just as Sirius ran behind Skittles and bit on her mid-back, his sharp teeth sinking into her skin. She hissed in pain and shook Sirius off with a good shake of her body, shivering at the feel of saliva coated in her precious fur.

"Fine! If it's a battle you want, then it's a battle you'll get! Skittles, Assist!" commanded May, glaring at Brendan.

Skittles concentrated as one of May's pokéballs began to glow a bright red. Her eyes snapped open as she sprinted toward the poochyena, scratching at his face. May realized that it was Flare's scratch attack. Sirius cried out, knocking the skitty back with a swift blow to her head. This didn't stop Skittles, though, as she leaped toward him again, scratching at his face once more. Sirius stumbled back a bit, but he looked determined than ever.

"Use Take Down, Sirius!" Brendan commanded, his fists clenching up in fury.

Sirius sprinted toward Skittles, kicking up dust, and collided with her, using his head to push her back into a boulder, causing the skitty to screech in protest. He then ceased his attack and backed down, letting Skittles slide down the boulder, landing on her bottom, gasping for breath.

"Skittles, try Faint Attack!" May directed.

Skittles shakily got back on all fours and closed her eyes, disappearing from sight, leaving Sirius confused. Without him knowing, she then appeared from behind him and tackled. Sirius, surprised by the attack, flew face forward into the ground, skidding along his chin. Wincing and trembling in pain, the poochyena stood back up, wobbling like a newborn pokémon learning to walk.

"Sirius! Finish her off with another Take Down!" Brendan ordered.

Slowly, Sirius turned around and lowered his body closer to the ground, pawing at it before running, tackling Skittles with his head, slamming her into the ground with a loud thud. The poor kitten did her best to stand up but just couldn't due to her fatigue. She laid there, not moving.

"Skittles, return!" May pulled out Skittles' pokéball and returned her, whispering words of gratitude into it. "I see you've improved since the last time I've battled you," the girl trainer remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Brendan smiled smugly. "Got a problem with that?"

The girl trainer smirked back. "No, because I've improved, too!" She enlarged another pokéball, thrusting it toward the battlefield. "I choose you, Tai!" May released Tai, and the bird took to the air swiftly, chirping his name. "Trust me, Brendan. Tai! Quick Attack now!"

Like a rocket, Tai spiraled downward toward the canine, his velocity increasing per second. Looking like a blur of red and blue, Tai's quickly side swept Sirius with his wing and sent him flying a few feet into the air. The canine landed with a rough thud, twitching, his eyes clenched shut.

Brendan glared at May who only smiled in return. "Return, Sirius!" He recalled his pokémon and whispered words of praise into it before shrinking it down and enlarging another. "Well, May. It looks like the score is now one to one."

May nodded, her battle face not faltering for a second, her dark blue eyes piercing into Brendan's own crimson orbs.

Brendan smiled, his eyebrows raised. "Aren't you the serious one?"

"We're here to battle, not talk!" May answered furiously.

Brendan flicked a piece of ash of his shoulder and shrugged. "Tsk, tsk, May. Every good trainer knows that getting mad is not the key to winning."

May shifted the bangs on her forehead so they wouldn't block her vision and smiled. "Now why would a bad trainer know what a good trainer does?"

Brendan growled, for he was the one mad now. "I am a good trainer, May. Better than you anyway!"

May laughed mockingly. "You? Better than me? Who was the one who beat you two times straight when we battled against each other? That's right. I did! You're not even half of what I am, Brendan Birch!"

Brendan bit his lip and glared at May, his anger rising also. "Don't even go there." He felt his body pulsing with white, hot anger, and he heard his pokéball crack in protest as he squeezed it tighter. "Go, Sapphire!" Brendan released his chipper lanturn, causing the girl to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, isn't that a surprise?" May said sarcastically. "An electric type. Need to fight against the elements to beat me now, huh?"

"Shut up! Just because I know my tactics and you don't doesn't mean you need to insult me!"

May put her hands on her hips, blowing up her bangs. "Let's make this quick. Tai, Quick Attack!"

"All right, Sapphire. We've been practicing this for weeks. Now it's your time to shine!" He watched as his lanturn nodded, Tai closing in on her. "Let's clip these birds wings with Spark!"

Sapphire charged up the lantern on her head, swinging it back and forth, her eyes sparkling, her eyes watching Tai's come closer. Crying out her name as her body pulsed with power, she swung her beacon back, and it collided with Tai, bolts of electricity zapping him. The tiny bird fell toward the ground in a thump before slowly picking himself back up with a flap of his wings. Sapphire's eyes were clenched shut, and she was shivering; even though the training seemed to be paying off, the energy seemed to take a toll on her energy.

"Hang in there, Tai! Wing Attack!" his trainer commanded.

Tai spun a quick spiral to the right before diving, using his right wing to slap Sapphire. Sapphire groaned, skidding back on the dirt ground, her eyes closed as she took the attack head on. She then opened her eyes, releasing she wasn't hurt too badly.

"Sapphire, use Confuse Ray!" Brendan ordered.

Red light spilled out of Sapphire's beacon, flashing before the taillow's eyes. Tai, startled, hovered midair, trying to concentrate as the bright light blurred his vision, his eyes glazed over.

"Concentrate, Tai, and use Quick Attack!" ordered May.

Tai heard his trainer, but his eyes were dazed out, and things were in places that they shouldn't have been. Assuming that a boulder Sapphire was sitting next was the pokémon, he gave a mighty flap of his wings and dove down, spiraling. It was too late before he realized that "Sapphire" was actually a boulder; his beak collided with it, hard. He fell flat on his belly, his wings twitching. The attack must have knocked him out.

"Return!" May returned Tai and whispered kind words into his ball. She took out another pokéball. "Ready for this one? I think you'll be surprised." She smiled at the confused look on Brendan's face. "I choose you, Cherry!" The girl released her newly evolved beautifly in a blaze of white light and silver sparkles. Cherry took to flight, extending her massive yet colorful wings, her antennas waving in the wind.

"Ah. So she finally evolved," murmured Brendan, rubbing his chin. "Finally. Wurmples aren't _that_ hard to evolve. Took you long enough."

"Hush your mouth." She pouted, crossings her arms. "Silver Wind!"

The wind blew hard, and silver pixie dust came out of Cherry's wings, beautiful yet deadly. The attack engulfed Sapphire and suffocated her, the wind nipping at her rubbery flesh. As quickly as it came, the attack ended, leaving behind a bewildered lanturn, short of breath and worn down.

"Hang tight, Sapphire. Try Spark again!" Brendan ordered, wringing his hands.

Sapphire tried to charge up energy, her beacon sizzling with energy but was too tired to release it. The electricity that ran up and down her body died down. She panted, shivering from fatigue.

"Don't give up, Sapphire! Water Gun her then!"

Sapphire sucked in breath and blew a jet of water toward Cherry, the jet streamlining toward her. The butterfly took the attack head on and got blown back a few feet because of the enormous power. Soaking wet, water dripping off her wings, Cherry shook, droplets flying everywhere. Despite the fact that the attack hit her dead on, Cherry was still hanging on strong.

"Cherry, finish things off with Secret Power!" May commanded.

Cherry's usually big, blue eyes glowed an eerie yellow, her wings flapping rapidly. Shaking with power, the beautifly flew down toward the tired lanturn, slamming into her, sending them both skidding toward the rock wall. Sapphire was Cherry's cushion, though, taking all the damage. The poor lanturn finally gave up, too tired to open her eyes.

Brendan returned Sapphire and whispered gentle words into her pokéballs. He then enlarged another ball. "Two to two. I choose you, Silver!" He released his bug type who hissed at Cherry menacingly, his beady eyes narrowing as he clapped his small but powerful claws. His usual silver body gleamed red, reflecting the sky. "Silver, use Slash!"

"Fly up high and tackle down!" May countered.

The nincada scuttled over to Cherry and tried to hack away at her, but Cherry avoided it by flying up high with a huge flap of her wings. She then aimed and tackled downward, sending Silver flying backwards, kicking up dust.

"Hang in there, Silver, and climb up on to the boulder." Brendan could tell this was going to be a tougher match since of Cherry's flying capabilities. He watched as the nincada flipped over back onto his feet and scuttled on top of a boulder, snapping his claws. "Now wait for it."

May smirked. She could easily tell what was going on with Brendan's strategy. He ordered his nincada onto the boulder so he would be able to get to Cherry's height and use String Shot or some other sort of attack to capture Cherry. She would fix that problem quite easily.

"Cherry, tackle the boulder!" May cried as a counter.

"Perfect." Brendan smirked as Cherry smashed the boulder into pieces with her head, sending Silver and bits of rock and dust flying, making the battlefield harder to see. "Nice try, May, but you're going to have to do better than that!"

"What?" May asked, puzzled. She watched impatiently as the cloud dusts died down, and she gasped as she saw the nincada riding on Cherry's back, digging into the screeching beautifly's skin. Chery did her best to throw him off, but he was holding on tight.

"Finish her off, Silver!" Brendan yelled. "Slash!"

Silver used one of his spiny legs to slash at Cherry's head. Cherry cried out and fell in a heap, ashes on the floor coating her body, while the nincada flipped and landed gracefully on the floor, clicking his front claws together.

"Cherry, return!" May recalled Cherry and switched pokéballs on her belt. "I choose you, Thunderbolt!" In a blaze of light, Thunderbolt burst out of his pokéballs, his bright green fur contrasting against the red sky. He pawed at the ground, lowering his head and snarling.

"Even if Thunderbolt loses this one, you'll never defeat my Flare!" May shouted triumphantly.

Brendan snorted. "In your dreams, May, because guess what? This battle has just begun!"

**Last Revision: 7/5/09**


	23. Love and Hate

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokémon or any related characters.

Muddy: Ain't that a kick in the butt?

Sirius: I ate the frosted cookies Breezy. (_groans from a stomachache)_

I told you not to eat them all. They were for the upcoming holidays, dammit!

Sirius: Hey! I have a stomachache from the poison you let me eat! What kind of author are you?

A good one!

Sirius: Pshaw!

Pshaw?

Sirius: Pshaw. Did I just say that? It's the cookies! Help me, Latios! Not you, Muddy, dammit!

Muddy: Oh, but I am Latios. What is your wish?

Flare: You're "Latios." Not a genie, smart one.

Muddy: Whatever. Start this damn story already!

* * *

**Love and Hate**

**

* * *

**

May smirked, causing Brendan to look at her with mock seriousness. "True, it is getting started, but I'm about to end it!" She looked at her pokémon she had on her field, her electrike she fondly named Thunderbolt, admiring his tiny but fierce stature. His green, coarse, short fur sparkled with electricity, and his mouth was open, revealing a sharp row of teeth. "Thunderbolt, use Spark!" she ordered, rage in her eyes.

Thunderbolt charged up with electricity, tackling Silver with full force, sending the bug type flying near the edge of the lava pit, his body trembling with shocks and sparks of electric power. Brendan gasped as his pokémon tumbled close toward the lava pit and then sighed in relief as he stop inches away from a fiery death. That was it. How dare she even get that close to almost ... almost killing one of his pokémon. She was a Team Aqua member, though. Or at least allied with them. Maxie was right; they didn't care. Why would May? Why would he care for her? Brendan's eyes felt blank as he stared at her, and his determined smirk quickly died down into nothing but a limp frown.

"So, May," he started, already sending goosebumps onto May's fair skin. "That's the way you want to play, huh? Then let's play! Silver, another Slash!" He slashed through the air, his palm flat and his fingers straight. "Show them no mercy!"

Silver quickly got onto his spiny legs and scuttled over to Thunderbolt with amazing velocity. Raising his front left claw, he slashed with all his power across Thunderbolt's face, making him tumble over into a boulder side, taking a huge part of the boulder with him.

"Thunderbolt!" May cried, running over to his side. She dug through the debris only to find Thunderbolt dented and scratched from the sharp rocks falling onto his tiny body. But what really angered May what the dark, red slash on Thunderbolt's face, courtesy of Silver's claw. A dribble of blood ran down toward his jawline.

May used part of her shirt to wipe the blood off of Thunderbolt's face before she returned him and promised him that the battle would be over soon. She walked over to her place on the battle field, her eyes burning with anger.

"What exactly is wrong with you?" she muttered, her gloved hand wiping at her forehead, prying off the bangs that were glued to her forehead by sweat.

Brendan smirked a little, bending over to give his nincada a little pat on the back. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me." So simple, yet so cold and monotonous at the same time. Where was his emotion, his vigor for battle? It was like it was sucked out of him.

The girl shrunk down Thunderbolt's pokéball and pocketed it with one hand while grabbing and enlarging Flare's pokéball with the other. "I know this isn't you," May said quietly but loud enough for Brendan to hear. "I don't know who the Brendan Birch I'm looking at right now is, but the old you is somewhere. The old Brendan that I liked being around, that seemed to care about me just a little." Her eyes darted back and forth in worry.

She was Team Aqua scum. Those words kept repeating in his head. She doesn't care about you, or your pokémon. Didn't you see what she did? She almost _killed_ your nincada right now, even if it weren't on purpose. He almost fell into the lava, for latios' sake!

"Aw, don't you know your friend?" he murmured, his voice lower in pitch. "The one you care for so very much? The one who helped defeat those big bad Team Magma members when you were down? How do I know this stuff? It is because I am the real Brendan Birch!"

May took in a short breath and glared ice cold daggers. "I love the kind-hearted Brendan, but not you!"

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, May."

"Prepare to lose!" May cried, her fingers wrapping tightly around her last pokéball. "Show 'em your new you, Flare!" She released her last pokémon but instead of the short, young fowl pokémon Brendan was used to, there stood a blaziken, a good few inches taller than him. "Flare! Finish Silver off with Fire Punch!"

Flare obeyed and set her right claw on fire, bending over and punching the nincada right in the kisser despite the height difference. Silver rocketed up from all the power and fell toward the ashy ground with a loud thump, fainting from the powerful blow to the chest.

"Return, Silver!" Brendan recalled his pokémon and took out his abra's pokéball. "Get ready for another type advantage!" He smirked at the look of disdain that crossed May's face. "Up and at 'em, Cy!" he yelled, throwing Cy's pokéball onto the battlefield. With a burst of red light, the abra appeared, sleeping, curled up in fetal position. With his eyes still closed, he sat up, covering his mouth as he yawned.

When May figured out Brendan caught the abra, an abra he creatively named Cy of all things, she was pretty mad. After all, she was the one that found him and weakened it. All he really did was capture him. Not that it mattered, though. "Flare, Fire Punch again!" she commanded.

"Dodge with Teleport!" Brendan countered.

Flare's right claw fired up in heat and flames as she tried punching the abra across the field. Cy quickly reacted by teleporting, dodging the attack as he disappeared, the sound of wind rushing wind filtering through their ears. The wind abruptly stopped as Abra reappeared behind Flare, his eyes still closed.

"Confusion!" Brendan barked out his order. "Let's show 'em how to heat things up!"

Cy glowed a rather violent shade of violet as he concentrating on sending Flare backward into the lava pool. Flare tried to dodge the purple light but failed as she was blasted off her feet and sent flying off the cliff and into the fire.

"Flare!" May screamed in fear, running over to the edge of the cliff and dropping onto her knees, peering over the side, her throat dry, her heart racing. She sighed in relief, her hand clutching her chest, as she saw Flare hanging on by a claw by a dent in the drop-off, but her troubles weren't over yet. "Are you okay, Flare?" she asked worriedly, gasping for breath, her eyes wide.

"Talk about a cliff hanger!" Flare joked, her body swinging back and forth.

"This is no time to be funny!" May cried, a few tears falling from her eyes. "I thought I lost you for a minute!"

"Aw, May." Flare tried to cheer up her trainer despite her circumstances. "It'll take a lot more than a puny, little Confusion attack to get rid of me! So get back to that battlefield and get some strategy ready! Don't worry about me. I'm coming out from this literal hell-hole!"

"Oh, Flare," May whispered, tears streaming down her face. She stood across from Brendan once again and waited for Flare to jump back up into action, wiping furiously at her eyes. She wouldn't let Brendan see her cry. Not here.

Meanwhile, Flare used her strong arms to push herself up from the pit of lava, the heat of the sunset against her back. She landed in front of the abra's face who was too surprised to teleport or counter the attack. The psychic pokémon's tiny claws reached for his face, crying out in pain.

"All right, Flare!" May cheered, blinking away her final tears. "Finish that abra off with Double Kick now!"

Flare obeyed and kicked Cy with tremendous force, sending him flying into Brendan's arm. The abra went limp in Brendan's arms, groaning. Brendan returned Abra from his arms and enlarged Muddy's pokéball, his last pokémon. He smiled, a cold, meaningless one, and May, from far away, could see the anger within his eyes. He asked a short yet meaningful question that could change the tide of the battle: "Do you want to quit, May?" His gaze sent May the most sickening feeling in the world: Fear. So many thoughts ran through her head, almost poetic-like.

_That wicked smile of his was about a mile wide and those flame-enraged orbs of his penetrating into my soul with such malice and terror. He spoke, such angst dripping from his tongue, sending shivers up and down my spine._

May shivered but replied quite confidently, "Never!"

Brendan put his arms behind his head as though he were in deep thought. "Fine," he said simply, "but just wait until I release the terrible horror upon your precious Flare!"  
_  
His hands, clenched at his side, trembled with every word he spoke as if he were trying to contain the anger that he has withheld inside of him for so long._

May felt her heart beat faster with every passing moment ...  
_  
My heart was pounding rapidly, beating against my chest as if it were trying to get out from its rib-caged cell._

... But she kept her cool. She smiled smugly. "Release Muddy. I know he evolved by the way you said it," she said with a hint of haughtiness. "Bring it on!"

"I choose you, Muddy!" Brendan shouted, releasing his final Pokémon.

Muddy, in his new swampert form, glared at the Flare with hatred, Flare doing the same.  
_  
Even the ones we thought would stay best friends forever fought because of his terrible peril._

"Muddy! Mud Shot!" Brendan directed.

Muddy shot out sticky mud from his mouth, hitting Flare full blast, coating her fine feathers in goop. Luckily for May, Flare wasn't damaged too badly as Brendan would have thought. Flare wiped the excess mud off her body, her face twisted up in disgust, and she charged up the flames on her arms and wrists.

"Flare, Double Kick!" May instructed, a worried look on her face. She knew this battle was going to turn out one hell of a hard one.

Flare, her arms still ablaze with fire, kicked Muddy in the stomach twice, causing the ground and water type to topple over like a domino. Small scorch burns were marked on Muddy's stomach like a branding mark.

_Pain didn't matter to him as long as he was the victor of this so-called game.  
_  
"Muddy, Muddy Water!" Brendan bellowed, his eyes ablaze.

Muddy concentrated, and the ground shook, a large crack appearing behind the boy and his pokémon. Instantly, water sprouted from the crack before bursting forth into a huge wave of both dirt and water. The wave went overhead Flare, drenching her from head to foot in muck. Flare groaned in pain as she toppled over from the might of the wave, landing on her back, the mud embedding itself in her feathers.

"Hang in there, Flare!" May cried, more tears flowing down her face. How badly she hoped for this terrible battle to be over. "Try a Slash attack!"

Flare, quite weak, jumped up and landed in front of Muddy, a small smirk plastered on her face as she slashed across Muddy's face, causing Muddy to howl in pain. She jumped back to her rightful spot on the battlefield, her smirk growing by the minute. She knew she was going to win this battle again even with Muddy evolved and the type advantage.

"Muddy! Water Gun!" Brendan yelled.

Muddy was getting tired by the moment and without Brendan's usual positive comments at hand, he had lost the will to battle. But he obeyed; he wanted to make his trainer happy no matter what.

_I can tell that your side is getting growing weary of your actions and how they yearn for you back._

Muddy sent out a jet of ice cold water hurtling toward Flare who was too tired to evade. She took the attack dead on and skidded backward before slowly getting back onto her feet, soaking wet, her flames doused.

May was getting concerned not only for Flare, but for Muddy as well. But with Brendan and his strange mindset right now ... She sighed and chose another attack. "Flare, try and use another Fire Punch!"

Flare, panting from the jet of water, tried to charge up the fire on her arms but with no luck; the water wore it down.

Brendan laughed; it grew louder with each passing moment. "Haha, what luck you have, May! Too bad it's going to end now! Muddy, finish her off with Mud Shot!"

Muddy glanced apologetically at Flare who smiled weakly in return, knowing that she had to be defeated in order to bring the real Brendan back. Muddy shot out mud at an incredible fast pace, making Flare skid backward on her back. Her head collided with a dead tree, causing the branches on the trees to rattle and Flare to groan. She twitched for a bit before she stopped moving completely.

"Flare!" May cried, running over to her fallen pokémon's side. She fell to her knees and cried, knowing that the worst was over for her and her fainted pokémon. With red and puffy eyes, she looked into Brendan's eyes with fear. Brendan blinked twice as he returned his pokémon.

_Slowly yet steadily, my eyes reach into his own, my heart skipping a beat because underneath all of that pure horror, there lived a scared, innocent boy, waiting for someone to wake him up from this living nightmare ... I knew he still cared for me._

He ran, leaving May behind on top of the fiery hill. May smiled slightly. She lost the battle but gained her old Brendan back.

_And I knew I cared for him, too. _

**Last Revision: 7/5/09**


	24. Thoughts

Muddy: Life doesn't make sense, but pennies make cents!

Flare: Why, thank you for the philosophy! I did not know that.

Muddy: I know a lot of things. I'm just overwhelmed by the competition!

Flare: I'm sure you are.

Muddy: I'm sure, but are you?

Flare: Will you _stop_?

Muddy: Never stop on the path of life. Just keep on going.

Flare: I'm going to punch you in a minute.

Muddy: (grins) Enjoy!

* * *

**Thoughts**

**

* * *

**

May frowned, rubbing her sapphire-colored eyes from the ashes and the blinding tears. Her knees sunk into the soft soil, dirtying her usually silky smooth legs. She gave her starter pokémon a slight smile, whispering kind words to her before returning her into her pokéball. A faint feeling on her left shoulder caught her attention, and she turned around, finding the pair of Team Aqua grunts that encountered her back at the entrance of Mount Chimney.

"Get up," the girl grunt muttered. May glared at this.

"You don't have to be so rude about it."

"Well, we can't stay here. Archie and a couple of admins managed to defeat Maxie's plans if you haven't noticed." The girl grunt gestured her head behind her, and May saw the Team Magma grunts scattering about while Maxie and his admins were huddled together around the machine. The machine seemed to be buzzing and making strange noises.

"That battle must have taken a toll on you," the guy grunt muttered, noticing the trail of tears that dried on May's cheeks.

May stood back up, brushing the dirt off her legs. "I guess," she replied quietly, looking into the distance where Brendan ran off to. She wondered where he went. She hoped he was okay ... that things would be okay between them.

The girl grunt waved her arms frantically. "Hello?" she urged, pushing the guy grunt and May forward. "Let's get out of here ... like, now!"

She stumbled forward, brushing the girl grunt's hand off her back and walked forward on her own toward the forest that bordered Mount Chimney and Lavaridge - if she remembered her map correctly. The leaves of the trees were red - maple trees, she figured –- and covered in white ash which really wasn't a surprise. The two grunts and May stopped at the building where the cable cars rested.

"Are you coming with?" asked the guy grunt as the girl grunt went ahead and entered the cable car building. "I'm sure there's going to be a meeting over what happened."

May shook her head. "Archie asked me just to help battle, and that's that." Her hands made their way to the top of her head, slipping off the blue bandanna. She dug around the pocket of her fanny pack and pulled out her old red and white one, tying it back on

The boy grunt shrugged. "Suit yourself." With that, he followed after the girl grunt into the cable car building, leaving May behind.

The slope that lead down the mountain was steep, bordered with maple trees and dusty grass. She made her way toward the long grass and kicked her leg through it, and instantly, flakes of ash floated into the air and swirled in the air space in front of her before settling down. She left Mount Chimney, its loud vicious battles and boiling lava turning into the quiet twittering of birds. Slowly, she began to descend down the mountain, her arms stretched out on either side of her like it would help maintain her balance. She couldn't help but think about Brendan; he would have helped her get down this hill. But dammit, though. He was a jerk, too. He could also have easily made her trip and fall. So conflicted. Brendan was awfully confusing. Where was Brendan anyway? Where could he have gone? She doubted he would have gone back toward Fallabor; there was really nothing there besides Meteor Falls. He probably went to Lavaridge since it was the closest city from Mount Chimney albeit the steep decline.

So deep into thought, May hadn't noticed the slight ledge and missed her footing, immediately slipping and falling on her rear. She groaned, rubbing her sore back, her eyes slightly narrowed as she turned her head toward the left. There was a boy, his back pressed up against the tree as he sat upon its thick outer roots, staring up toward the sky. He hugged his knees to his chest, the slight breeze shifting his hair lightly.

"Brendan?" she asked. She then noticed the tree he was leaning against. "Ah, of course. I forgot about your tree fetish."

Brendan, on the verge of a smile, scowled quickly to cover it as he sat up straight. His ruby-red eyes glared coldly at May.

May, baffled at Brendan's sudden change of behavior, stood up, glowered right back, and put her hands on her hips. "No need for the attitude," she said, popping her hip before marching over toward Brendan and standing in front of him. Her shadow covered his body from the rays of the setting sun.

Brendan smirked slightly. "Oh, came back crying for me huh?" He observed May's somewhat red and puffy eyes. "Figures. You can't live a hour without me to catch you now, huh?"

May snorted as she rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the inflammation. "Oh, right. I need you so much! You're, like, my hero!"

"That's right!" Brendan said, clearly aware that May was being sarcastic. He decided to use it against her. "I am a hero!"

May rolled her eyes. "Sure you are, Birch."

Brendan glared at her again. "Don't you have your own life you have to follow instead stalking me like a crazed fan?"

"Crazed fan? You don't even have fans."

"I have fans!"

"Origami ones don't count."

Brendan stood up and kicked a rock in frustration. "Latios! Just get away from me, okay?"

May bit her lip. A hint of sadness passed through her eyes. "And to think I called you good. To think I thought you'd never leave me again like last time. To think I thought you were _my best friend_!" She put emphasis on the last three words. "But guess what? I don't need your help, I don't need your support, and I especially don't need you because guess what? It's over!"

"It's over?" He raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm not even sure what has even started!" Brendan might have as well been yelling at his fellow trees because May stormed off and jumped down a ledge.

"Women!" Brendan bellowed, frightening a few taillows that flew from the maples toward the sky.

Bursts of light shone from his belt and part of his pokémon team appeared – well, at least the ones that were not badly injured. One was the thick build of Muddy, the second was the small, puppy form of Sirius, and the other was the hard, insect shape of Silver. All three moved their legs, cracking them in odd places.

"Brendan, would you mind if I spoke my mind?" Muddy asked politely after he finished stretching, completely different from his sarcastic and dim-witted self.

"Um, sure," Brendan said nervously.

Muddy took in a deep breath and began to ramble: "How could you do that to May, you idiot! You battle like you were possessed by an evil duclops during that entire battle! Then you run away after it, leaving a crying girl behind! Then you put the icing on the cake and act _reaaaalllyy _stupid, making her run away from you _again_! And now what's this? Scaring taillows where their only crime is being happy?" Muddy, almost out of breath finished his lecture. "Poké-poké-pokém ... pokémon trainers! Kyogre, why did you make them like this?" he shouted to the sky, finally collapsing onto the ground, his legs kicking up in the air.

Sirius and Silver looked at each other oddly before gazing at their befallen pokémon "leader."

"What he was trying to say is-" Silver started.

"-that you are being a moron," Sirius finished. "No offense."

"None taken." Brendan shrugged. "But I don't see how it's my fault when May was the one who started it! I told her that I was not changing my mind and that I wanted to join Team Magma! Yet she follows me up to Mount Chimney, tries to _stop_ Maxie by charging toward him, for latios' sakes, and then battles me! Battles me, you guys, battles me!"

"We were there," muttered the swampert.

"Guys!" shouted Sirius out of the blue. He motioned his head forward to turn everyone's attention there. Up ahead was a group of rocks, the one in the middle the biggest with two smaller ones lined up on its sides. "Rock! I like rocks. I want to be one."

"Yeah. The whole almost falling into lava thing was pretty memorable for me. And of course, Sirius. I can imagine you being a rock," muttered the nincada with an eye roll. "Anyway, you have to get her back, Brendan."

Brendan blinked. "Wha – what?" he cried out. "Why me? Why can't she – why won't she be the one crawling back to me? I didn't do anything!"

"Understatement." Muddy sat down, plopping onto his bottom, and leaning against his arms, stretching his chest. "Do you want me to tell you again?"

"If it'll make you faint again, knock yourself out!" Silver replied. "Literally," he added with a smirk.

"Hey, uh, Silver," murmured Sirius, his head lowered. "I was kidding about being a rock, you know."

"We're not on that right now, Sirius."

The swampert, frustrated, sat back up. "Hello?" Muddy waved a paw in front of their faces. "Important issues here! B Boy, May, run away, madness, MADNESS!" he said loudly. "Yeah, remember? Or do your little brains have trouble comprehending that?"

"Look who's talking!" the nincada retorted.

"Someone has been spending a little to much time with Cy and his big 'ole words," Sirius taunted, grinning

Brendan fell back onto the floor, his elbows digging into his knees to support his fallen head on his hands. He closed his eyes and thought, trying to block out his pokémon's arguments. Was it true? Did he go ... crazy during his last battle with May? Was he really that bad?

"Well how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Sirius questioned.

"See you said, 'If a woodchuck COULD chuck wood,'" Muddy answered. "If it COULD chuck wood! So therefore, I can't answer it! So in your face, you big, bad wolf!"

"I did not eat the extra rice balls!" Sirius exclaimed. "They fell into my mouth somehow!"

Silver blinked twice, confused. "What?"

Sirius smiled nervously. "Nothing."

Brendan laughed silently to himself, still thinking. Crawling back to May didn't sound appealing; it'd make him look weak after all. But then again, if he didn't do SOMETHING, he'd be alone ... and friendless ... and kind of a loser. Like that Wally kid.

"They want you to take the rolls!" Muddy replied. "That's why they give you so many Oh and the butter, too! They give you a lot of butter."

Traveling with May was a whole lot better than traveling alone. And despite being ... annoying, she did have her good qualities. She was kind of cute, for example. Cuteness helps woo over guy clerks, giving them discounts on pokeballs. And he liked buying pokeballs for cheap.

"I didn't 'lose' my brain, Silver. I just misplaced it!"

"Whatever you say, Mud Brain."

And he didn't know if he could used to the idea of traveling alone.

"Hey, if every kid wants to dig to China, where do the kids that live in China want to dig?"

"I don't know actually."

He'd still have his pokémon to talk to he guessed ...

"What does PMS really mean anyway?"

"Er, Pissy May Syndrome?"

"Well, it does work."

And while his pokémon were great, they didn't really replace the lack of human companionship.

"You're not serious are you, Muddy?"

"No, I'm Sirius, Silver!"

"That's an old and tired joke, my friend."

"I know. Sad ain't it?"

Brendan stood up quickly, his heart pounding in his chest. The sudden movement alerted the attention of his pokémon.

"So what's the plan, captain?" Muddy asked.

Brendan shrugged. "Don't know. We're just gonna wing it!"

This left three looked at each other dully before glaring at their trainer.

* * *

May sat solemnly at a table, watching and waiting for her pokémon to heal at Lavaridge's pokémon center. Her fingers tapped impatiently on the clean tabletop along with the patting of her foot on the cold linoleum. Nurse Joy came down to May's table and smiled warmly.

"Well the rest of your pokémon are fine," she said with a grin as she presented May with her pokéballs, "but your electrike needs to stay overnight because of that deep gash on his face. I need to stitch it up and make sure it's not infected." Nurse Joy's grin faded a bit. "How did your electrike get that awful cut?"

May shifted uncomfortable in her seat. "When my other pokémon and I were training," she began, lying, "Thunderbolt ran into a sharp, low tree branch that scratched his face. It didn't look too bad at first, and then I saw he got it in there pretty deep and he started to bleed and ... yeah."

Nurse Joy nodded, giving the tabletop a good rap with her knuckles. "Well I better check on the pokémon! Bye, May!"

"Bye, Nurse Joy!" May replied back, waving her off. She sighed once again as she twiddled with her hair. Brendan and she always seemed to be fighting no matter what they did. Why was that? Were they not as close as they thought? Then again, they only did pretty much just start their journey. As long as this journey seemed to be taking, in all reality, it had only been a couple of months, give or take. A couple of months wasn't that long to build a good relationship with someone.

The girl trainer reached down and unclipped her pokénav on her fanny pack and placed it on the table, staring at the screen just in case Brendan called her. She doubted this, but she couldn't help but hope. Why should she, though? He was mean to her. He joined that ridiculous Team Magma gang or whatever the hell they are. He didn't care about how she felt about it, just that he was going to do it. Jerk. Besides that, he still refused to call her by her name and he was still pretty sexist.

May, finally realizing how much of a jerk Brendan was around her, stood up and stomped up furiously, alarming a few rookie trainers. With four out of five pokémon equipped on her belt, she marched out the door, ready to "talk" to a certain white-haired, red-eyed, bandanna-wearing boy they call Brendan. She threw open the doors of the pokémon center, the hot heat enveloping her, despite the fact that twilight was starting to settle in. It was still bright outside, though the sun had already set behind the mountains.

Her loud stomps kicked up dust, the clean airspace in front of her slowly tinting into a speckled light brown. Soon, she found herself back at the base of the hill she recently almost died getting down. Okay, maybe she was being over dramatic. Either way, she could have used that annoying boy's help. She looked up, standing on tippy toe (not that it would have helped), trying to spot her "friend." No dice.

"This is pointless!" she shouted to herself. "He probably went back down to Mauville to be an idiot no doubt!"

Nevertheless, she stormed back up the hill and stopped at the ledge, trying to figure a way back up. She noticed several slippery stones embedded into the wall of the ledge, and she figured trainers used them to climb back up. With a slight sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, May walked toward them and put one foot on the stone, boosting herself up, quickly grabbing onto another stone with her left hand. Something grabbed her by the shoulder, and she immediately freaked out, jumped off the rocks, and backhanded whoever touched her. Unfortunately for her, she slapped a certain boy who crept up behind her to scare her. Or maybe she wanted to slap him. She didn't know.

"Ow!" Brendan screamed in pain, his hand immediately springing to where May hit him – the cheek of course. He rubbed it, and May could see through the gaps of his fingers that the skin below was turning red.

May put her hands on her hips and looked into Brendan's eyes. "Look. We need to talk about things."

"Things?" He dropped his hand, aghast. "You just realize now that we have to talk about things?"

"Brendan, I–"

The fact that May slapped him for no reason whatsoever made him angry and made him forget that he was looking for her to apologize. So granted, he really had no idea what he was saying at the moment. "Don't even try to explain yourself because I don't need you like you said before! Just travel with Wally and see if I care!"

"You don't really mean–"

"Yes, I do mean that, so go!"

May didn't feel like crying at the moment; she was sick of crying over this boy. "Whatever you say, Birch," she said calmly and coldly. "Whatever you say. I don't care anymore. You always think you're right, even when you're wrong."

"Oh? And what's that suppose to mean?" Brendan demanded.

"Simple. You always want things to go your way, even if it's not right."

"That's not true! Who was the one that came back to you?"

"I'm not even on that topic right now, Brendan."

"Who cares?"

"See! That's what I mean! I don't know what the battle on Mount Chimney did to you, but ... but I don't like it at all! When the battle was over, I thought you went back to your real self, but I guess I got my hopes up to high."

"What? I'm the same person I was even when we did battle!"

"Liar! I know you know that wasn't you! The _real _you anyway!"

"Fine! So what if I went crazy on the battle? So what if I'm an agent in Team Magma? Nothing would have changed the way we traveled until you made a big deal out of it."

May frowned, pressing her back against the ledge as Brendan looked at her curiously. She sat down angrily on the ground, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. "That's not true," she said quietly, looking down at her feet, avoiding Brendan's eye contact. "I mean, if you haven't joined Team Magma in the first place, then maybe we wouldn't be in this predicament now would we?"

Brendan clenched his teeth and sat down across from May, avoiding her eyes as well. "No, if you just let me be what I wanted to be, then maybe we wouldn't be having another stupid fight over nothing." He fell on his back, his snow-white hair catching a few twigs and mud. "Why is traveling with you so complicated?"

"I don't know," muttered May, scooting over toward Brendan's side and lying down next to him, staring up into the twilight sky. Stars littered the canvas, twinkling. "I didn't mean all that stuff earlier ... about not needing you, I mean."

"I know, May. I need you, too."

"I don't want to travel alone. I want to travel with you."

"As do I – er, with you. I thought a lot and I realized ... Hell, this would be a boring journey without you."

She laughed, a pleasant ringing in Brendan's ears.

"You're mean," she finally said. "But in a good way."

"And you're crazy. In a crazy way."

**Last revision: 7/9/09**


	25. Gym Battle at Lavaridge City

**Gym Battle at Lavaridge City**

**

* * *

**

May quickly sat up, alarming the boy next to her, making him sit up as well. "You know where we are, right?" she asked, pushing herself up to her feet.

"Uh ..." Brendan did the same and looked around, trying to look past the camp scenery. "Lavaridge? I didn't really explore this area yet." He motioned forward down the hill, May following behind him, his eyes fixated ahead, trying to make sense of the setting. He could saw smoke spiraling toward the sky from chimneys, but the trees were too thick and tall to see the buildings.

"Yeah," she answered. "And there's a gym there! I want a new badge! I call dibs on the challenging the gym leader first!"

Completely forgetting about his promise, Brendan declared, "Not if I get there first!" He ran past the curve toward the city, kicking up dirt in his wake. "Catch me if you can, slankoth!" he mocked.

The girl stood there, watching the back of her friend, her mouth gaping open. "No fair! You got a head start!" she whined as she began to chase him, the wind whipping through her hair.

Brendan turned his head around a bit to look at the girl chasing after him. He stuck out his tongue tauntingly, but this was short-lived; he soon tripped over a rock, falling flat on his stomach. He groaned as May kicked dirt in his direction as she passed, giggling.

The boy let out a tired groan, groggily getting back up and walked toward the hot city, hands clasped behind his back. His hands found their way toward his back pocket, and he felt what he had stuffed in there: his Team Magma bandanna. He pulled it out, examining the cloth. Was it really worth it to follow what he believed in when he could lose a great friendship over it? He rolled his eyes, ignoring the question he asked himself and pocketed the bandanna again as he headed into Lavaridge City.

* * *

"I am happy to say that your electrike did splendid in his recovery. However, I would like to keep him overnight just for observation. He should be fit enough to battle against Flannery tomorrow. Here are your room keys for tonight." Nurse Joy smiled, her slender fingers handing May a golden key. "Now if you excuse, I must check on the rest of the pokemon. Good luck tomorrow!"

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" May, her fist wrapped tightly around the key, watched Nurse Joy turn her back before turning around herself, stepping onto the toes of a person standing directly behind her. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she quickly murmured an apology but then noticed it was the foot of Brendan she had stepped on. "Ah, never mind." The girl stood on tippy toe and patted Brendan's hair, smiling broadly.  
Brendan merely sighed and continued to stare dull eyed at May, his arms crossed, his hands clenched.

"Oh, get over it," May murmured, rolling her eyes. She held out the room key on her index finger, letting the key dangle on its silver key ring. "Since it's so late, we're going to have to wait until tomorrow until for my gym battle. Thunderbolt is still under Nurse's Joy care, so I'd rather wait anyway."

"So I really _could_ have gone first since Thunderbolt is not in condition. What's wrong with him anyway?"

May did her best not to stare open-mouthed at the clueless white-haired trainer before her. "No, you couldn't have," she replied coolly, motioning Brendan to follow her down the hallway toward the rooms. They tread quietly down the hall, flattening the shaggy red carpet underneath their feet. "And Thunderbolt had a tough fight compared to the others. He just needs to rest is all."

An annoying, nervous feeling bubbled in May's stomach as she inserted the key into the room they rented for the night, jiggling the doorknob to see if it opened. Did Brendan really forget what happen? She supposed it was the best considering how ... odd he acted during it. Still ...

Fighting back the feeling in her stomach, May finally opened the door, greeted by the cool air of the open window in the room. The two trainers entered, May sitting on the bed pushed up to the right and Brendan throwing his backpack on the bed to the left. She watched as he unclipped his pokenav from his belt, checking the time. He, too, threw that on the bed and unzipped his backpack, searching its contents. "The gym really is closed now?" he asked absentmindedly.

She shrugged, watching the back of her companion's back. "I would assume. The sun is setting after all. Besides, do you really want to battle after today?"

The boy let out a quiet laugh. "I guess not. It is kind of early, though. Too early to sleep."

"Oh? What happened to your 'early to bed, early to rise' philosophy?"

"Psh." Brendan continued to clean out his backpack, pulling out crumpled up paper balls and old granola bar wrappers. May continued to watch him, more out of boredom than interest, her blue eyes sweeping over his appearance. Brendan was lean, but not that lanky either. Underneath that sweater were toned muscles, something she saw when she accidentally walked in on him changing shirts, but he wasn't too muscular. Average, really. Okay looking, she supposed.

"Like what you see?"

Brendan's voice quickly snapped May out of her thoughts, flushness bathing across her cheeks. "No way!" she said, half yelling, half mumbling.

A cocky smirk made its way to Brendan's as he turned his head to stare at the flustered girl. "Aw, it's okay, May. I've been told I'm quite the handsome boy. So it's okay to stare."

"Oh please, Brendan. We all know that the only one who would have told you that is your mom." She grinned as Brendan's smirk dropped into a frown. Unclipping the fanny pack from her hips, May remarked, "So really. You're the one native to this boring island. There must be something to do in this city. Or is this place just surrounded by trees?"

"Hmm ..." Brendan pulled out his pokemon manual and sat on the bed, making the springs creak. He flipped through it, his thumb fanning through the pages, before stopping on the section that went into detail on Lavaridge Town. "Settled on the foot of Mt. Chimney, north is the Jagged Pass, blah, blah – oh, here we go. Lavaridge is known for its hot springs. Magma from Mt. Chimney runs through the veins of water, thus heating up the springs. Well, there's that."

"Hot ... springs?" repeated the girl.

"Yeah." Brendan slammed the book shut and stretched a bit to place it on the dresser squeezed between the two beds. "So do you want to?"

"Hot ... springs?" she peeped out again.

He stared at her wearily. "You really are the weirdest girl I've ever met." Brendan dug through his backpack again, pulling out a pair of wrinkled board shorts. He flapped them in the air to straighten them out. "Whatever. I'm going."

"Wait. Why?"

The bed springs creaked again as Brendan stood up, heading toward the door, pulling it open. "I hear going in them attracts money. Latios knows we need it." He rolled his eyes. "Besides, I suppose it'll be nice to relax. Join me later if you want if you're done staring ... or whatever you're doing." With a slight nod and a small wink, Brendan left the room and shut the door behind him.

The air that brushed against May from the door closing made her shiver. It would be nice to relax in a hot spring. But not in front of Brendan. Not in front of a boy who would ... stare at her while in a bathing suit. She was already uncomfortable with her body as it was, and she didn't need no smirking jerk to make fun of her.

She looked at the time. Thirty minutes past seven. Too early to sleep.

With nothing else to do in the small, quaint town, May sighed and pulled her fanny pack on her lap, looking for a bathing suit.

* * *

"So you decided to join me huh? Knew it."

May frowned as Brendan leaned back against the side of the nature-made hot spring, staring at her. She blushed a bit, gripping tightly onto the towel that covered her bikini-clad body. "Well, there was nothing else to do. You'd be surprised how boring the news is," she murmured. She dipped a slim foot into the water and then quickly pulled it back out, surprised at how hot it was. "It's boiling hot. How can you stand it?"

Brendan's right hand swirled the water around, making it wave back and forth across his arm. "You get used to it. So are you coming in?"

May looked back and forth between the boy in the hot spring and the pokemon center doors behind her. The latter seemed more relaxing. "Um ... Don't know."

"Oh, come on," he urged. "I thought girls liked this kind of thing."

"We do! It's just–" May's eyes darted back and forth in her head, "–well ... Can you close your eyes first?"

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "You're not serious, are you?"

May nodded frantically. "I don't want you to see me ... er, my body."

"Uh, why?"

"Brendan, please ..."

Rolling his eyes, Brendan slapped his hands against the front of his eyes, obeying May's request. He didn't know what the big deal was; Brendan knew that May's figure was anything BUT embarrassing. Girls. He couldn't help but peek, though, peeking through the gaps between his fingers. He watched as May took in a sharp intake of breath before off the towel around her and folding it neatly, placing it near her feet.

Now, Brendan always considered May "okay looking" even during their first encounter. She certainly wasn't bad to look at anyway. Decent face, nice eyes, a pretty smile, a relatively curvy figure, a nice ra – well, he won't get into that. But there was something about her today. Maybe it was the light she was cast in, the orange glow of the sunset and the lit torches that bordered the hot spring made her radiate. Maybe it was because he was squinting between his fingers. Or maybe, just maybe, it had to do with the fact that she was a tiny, red bikini. Either way, Brendan saw her in a more attractive light.

He watched as May sat down and dipped her legs into the hot spring before she dropped in, the hot water rippling as she did. She shivered at the sudden amount of heat that overwhelmed her, doing her best to adjust by lapping the water up and down her arms.

"Okay," she sighed. "You can look now."

Brendan dropped his hands, letting them splash in the water. He gazed at May's flushed face, not sure if she was blushing because of the hot water or the predicament she was in. She was tense, her shoulder hunched up, her arms hugging around her upper body. "Relax," he murmured. "You're in a hot spring."

The girl let out another sigh before relaxing her shoulders and letting her arms float in the water. She closed her eyes, breathing in the steam, enjoying the bubbles. "This is nice," she remarked softly, pressing her back against the side.

Brendan watched her relax. Not out of interest, mind you, but boredom really. Yeah. Boredom. She did look rather ... pretty. Gah, what was he saying?

"Like what you see?" she mocked, opening one eye and smirking.

Brendan, startled, jumped a bit at the statement, eyes wide. "Psh! Don't flatter yourself!" he quickly exclaimed, perturbed. "I got lost in my thoughts, and you so happen to be in front of me, and well – ugh, just forget about it!"

May let out a small laugh that rung through Brendan's ears. "Why don't you relax instead?" she advised, lapping the water against her upper arms. She raised her hands, picking up the folds of her wet locks and pulled it up, only to drop them and let them drape around her moist shoulders.

There was an awkward silence with the exception of tweeting birds and the fire in the torches crackling.

"You look nice," Brendan muttered.

May looked at him oddly. "You're saying that because I'm in a bathing suit."

"No – well, yeah the bathing suit did help." The boy smiled sheepishly as the girl glared at him. "But really, May. You just look ... pretty."

"You're a liar." May, blushing, looked down into the water. "Thank you, though."

* * *

Brendan felt awfully embarrassed the next morning when he woke up, the taillow chirping cheerfully in the trees outside the window. Flat on his back, his hands resting on his chest, the boy stared up at the ceiling, staring at its design. Why did he say that? Why did he say she was ... pretty? Dammit. Damn girls and their ability to hypnotize him with their skimpy bathing suits.

Turning onto his side, he noticed that May was staring at him, and he freaked out, quickly sitting up in place.

"Gah, why are you staring at me?" he shouted, his hair sticking up in several places.

May simply blinked, getting up in a much calmer manner. "I don't know," she replied after a few seconds of silence. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her blanket. "Mostly because I was lazy to turn away. And I wasn't staring at you. I was staring at the wall to the side of you."

"It was still in my general direction!" he screeched.

"Man, what's with you?" she questioned. "Whatever it is, get over it." Stretching her arms over her head, May looked at the clock that hung on the wall. "Hmm, eleven. You actually let us sleep in? That's, like, a first. How nice."

"Yeah, well. Considering that we're going to be stuck here for awhile, I figure there was no need to wake up early." Rubbing his hair, messing up further, Brendan asked, "So are you ready for your gym battle?"

"I guess. This is a fire-based gym, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, I think I'll be fine then." May hopped onto her feet, her loose pajamas straightening out around her legs. "You know, those hot springs did make me feel loads better. I haven't slept that well in weeks! How did you sleep?"

Brendan was pretty restless throughout the night, thinking about what happened. "Er, good," he lied.

"Good." Smiling, May picked up her bag and headed toward the door. "Well, I'm going to get ready. You should, too. I'll see you at breakfast?"

He nodded again. "Yeah," Brendan said, still moving his head.

Ignoring the odd look May gave him before she closed the door, Brendan flopped back down onto his bed, muffling himself with his pillow. Today was going to be a long, awkward day.

* * *

When the glass doors of the Lavaridge gym opened, and the two trainers were greeted by thick, billowing white smoke. Hesitantly, the two entered, the doors immediately closing behind them. The smoke started to choke them. What was odd about the gym was that the floor was littered with holes, hot steam rising from them.

May, blinded by the smoke, slowly tread across the gym's floor, groping for a wall. When she finally found one, she continue to run her hands up and down the wooden walls, looking for a door. "I don't get it," she murmured after circling the small room. She used her hand to fan herself, sweat tricking down her face. "How do we get to the gym leader? This is just one big, blank room with ... holes."

"You answered it yourself," Brendan replied, standing behind May. He motioned toward one of the holes. "So would you like sand pit number one, or geyser number two?"

"What do you mean?" May asked, puzzled. She peered down into one of the holes, noticing that it contained sand in it. She turned around to look down the other hole, noticing it was filled with hot water.

"We have to go through one of these geysers or sand pits in order to reach the gym leader," Brendan explained. "I'm guessing that each pit leads to different rooms, maybe in the right direction, or maybe in the wrong direction. I read about it in the guide. Lavaridge went all out when decorating their gym."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

He shrugged. "Probably. Pick one."

Tentatively, May chose the hole to her right, dipping a foot into it. She was sucked in immediately. "Brend – AH!" she screamed as she went down under. Brendan laughed and hopped into the sandpit after her, the warm sand oozing through his clothes. It wasn't a disgusting feeling, though. It was rather soothing.

May screamed as the sand pit took her into another room and spat her out. She landed on her bottom with a loud thud, groaning to herself. A few seconds later, Brendan hopped out of the sand pit without the slightest look of dizziness. He looked at May, who stumbled around before falling down, and shook his head, offering her a hand.

The girl, still dizzy, looked up. "Ah!" May screamed in terror. "Five Brendans! The horror!"

Brendan shook his head again and picked up May by himself, brushing the dirt off her shoulders. "Ready to try that again?" He smirked, amused.

"... Dammit."

* * *

May was practically in tears as they reached another dead-end in the Lavaridge gym.

"I wanna get out of here!" she cried. "My butt hurts, my feet hurt, I can hardly breathe, and we've been trying to find Flannery for the past forty-five minutes!"

"Don't give up now, May. We're so close! I know it!" Brendan replied optimistically as he turned his back to May, looking around for another hole. "Besides, I'm not giving up, and neither should you!" He walked a bit away toward the back wall, looking for hidden holes enclosed by smoke.

May hesitated before replying. "... Fine, but you better be right about us being close!" The girl looked around, noticing a ledge. Standing up tippy toe, she noticed that the drop wasn't too bad and that it would lead back to the room they just left. "There's a ledge," she remarked, "so let's – ah!" May screamed as a geyser covered in thick smoke shot her up into another room.

Turning his head quickly at May's scream and getting whiplash from it, the boy remarked, "May?" Brendan looked around but couldn't find his friend anywhere. "Oh, Mayyy? Did she already jump over that ledge?" he asked himself as he completely missed the secret geyser May fell into when he hopped over the ledge. "Well, that's rude. I can't believe she left without me!"

* * *

Her rough landing resounded throughout the small room.

"Ow!" May grumbled as she picked herself from the floor, sighing. Besides being lost in this hell hole of a gym for almost a hour, she lost Brendan as well. "This sucks!" she cried out loud. "This sucks, this sucks, this sucks!"

There was no used complaining about it, though. She either had two choices: find the gym leader or leave it, and both options included going through those annoying sand pits. She noticed two sand pits in the room so she hopped into one. The sensation of sand brushing against her skin, warmness hugging her tight, and breathing underwater overwhelmed her like before. She soon entered another room, gasping for breath, with three different geysers and sand pits. Feeling extra lucky, she hopped into one which turned out to be another sand pit.

The former option came up.

Coughing to clear her throat of sand and brushing the dirt off her clothes, May stepped further into the gym leader's room. "I'm May Maple from Littleroot Town, and I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" May demanded as she held out an enlarged pokéball arm's length in front of her. She examined the leader in front of her. While obviously older than the girl trainer, May noticed that the leader was fairly young, much like Roxanne was. Her black t-shirt embroidered with a red flame showed off her finely-toned belly, and a pair of jeans held up by a red belt showed off her curves nicely. Her bangs, a nice shade of red, framed her face, revealing her bright, red eyes. May couldn't help but admire her hair. It was a simple ponytail, but the gym leader split it up into four separate parts.

Flannery stood up from the mat on the floor and started to talk – or at least try to anyway.

"I am Flannery, the fire type – wait, no. I'm the tamer of the fire types! I have – let me start again. My grandparents have taught me the skills of ... training fire types and I shall use it ... um, against you! So prepare to lose, you weak, little girl!"

May just blinked twice, confused. She figured the leader was trying to sound strong and confident, but she sort of failed.

"Er, what are the rules then?" May asked, ignoring the stumbling introduction.

Another voice answered for her. "Both trainer or gym leader are able to use three pokémon each." A judge appeared in the midst of the smoke as he took his place in the middle of the sidelines. "The challenger will be able to return her pokémon at anytime while the leader cannot. No time limit!" The judge raised both red and green flags in the air and then swung them down. "Let the battle begin!"

"Let's go, Slugma!" Flannery quickly pulled a pokeball from her belt and threw it toward the field. A slugma appeared in a blaze of white which, in May's honest opinion, looked like a blob lava instead of a pokémon. A pair of eerie, yellow eyes embedded itself in its boiling, lava-like form.

Evaluating the situation, May threw the pokeball she had in her hand. "I choose you, Thunderbolt!" she cried. Thunderbolt burst out of his pokéball like a rocket and instantly took a battle stance, grunting and pawing at the ground, a somewhat amusing picture because of his small stature.

"Slugma, start things off with Rock Throw!" Flannery commanded.

"Dodge it, Thunderbolt, and use Spark!" May countered.

Slugma's blob-like body crawled over toward a few rocks scattered along the gym, and he rammed his body into them, sending them toward Thunderbolt. The electrike easily evaded them with his speed, and darted toward the slugma, charging his body up with electricity. With a snarl, bolts of electricity running up and down his tiny body, he tackled the slugma, sending the blob skidding along the rocky ground.

"Slugma, Ember!" Flannery instructed as the fire type regained composure ... or as much as a slugma could compose of itself, anyway. Slugma stretched out his body and a gap in its lava body opened, sending out tiny flames at Thunderbolt. May's pokemon took the hit full on, the flames licking his body and making him screech, but he held on strong, snorting.

"Thunderbolt, use Quick Attack!"

Thunderbolt kicked his back legs in the air, also kicking up dirt, and he sprinted at Slugma at an alarmingly fast pace. The electrike tackled Slugma into a large rock and grinding his head against him. The slugma's hot body, however, slowly began to trickle down Thunderbolt's head, making Thunderbolt screech at the intense heat. He jumped back, letting the slugma drop down and tried to paw at his head, smoke burning the fine hair along his hair.

Although worried about her pokemon, May knew he was tough enough to take a bit of a burn. "While it's down, Thunderbolt. Spark it again!" she ordered.

Thunderbolt charged up his body with friction and rammed into the Slugma again, powerful electric waves jumping from his body to his opponent's. As quick as it came, the electrike jumped off Slugma, and Slugma collapsed in a heap, its lava body spreading everywhere, small swirls in place where his eyes should be.

The judge raised the green flag. "Slugma is unable to battle! Electrike is the winner!"

"Slugma, return!" Flannery recalled her pokémon into its ball and shrunk it down, getting out another.

"All right, Thunderbolt! You did it!" May cheered as Thunderbolt ran to May. White light suddenly engulfed Thunderbolt, and May gasped. He was evolving ...

* * *

"Hey, Muddy?" Brendan asked his pokémon (who he had let out more out of boredom) a question. "You said you knew where we were going, but I don't see an exit."

Muddy cast his eyes over to Brendan and shrugged, toddling next to him. He blinked a few times, realization dawning over him. "Oh, we were looking for an exit?" he asked, surprised. "I thought you said, 'Hey I need to find an egg, zit!'"

Brendan slapped his forehead. "No, I did not say egg, zit! I said _exit_! Exit!"

Muddy put his hands up in the air for a few seconds and dropped them down. "Well _now _it makes sense! I was like, 'I can find the egg, but I don't have zits, so why is he calling me a zit?' You should speak more coherently next time."

"... Well, I'm glad we cleared that up, pal."

Muddy smiled goofily. "Me too!"

Brendan slapped his forehead again and jumped into a geyser.

* * *

"Thunderbolt, you're a totally cool manectric now!" May squealed happily, hugging her poor pokémon to death, his short, coarse fur pricking against her soft skin. "That's so cool!"

"Um, right," Thunderbolt blinked, trying to escape May's clutches by squirming. "I kind of need to battle now."

"Oh, right, let's go win us a badge!" May let go of Thunderbolt, examining his new appearance. Obviously taller than his previous form, Thunderbolt traded in his green fur for a sleek blue and yellow. His yellow fur pointed out in different directions, but it didn't look messy; it had a complete look to it. His eyes were red and tough, excited for the battle. He jumped back onto the battlefield, a determined look on both trainer and pokémon's face.

Flannery sent out another Slugma, looking exactly like the first one. She smirked. "Get ready for round two! Slugma, Flamethrower!" she directed.

"Thunderbolt, dodge and use Quick Attack again!"

Thunderbolt dodged the jet of orange-red flames and attacked the slugma from the side, head butting it and sending him skidding toward the wall. Slugma landed in a heap, but he was still able to fight back.

"Time to bring out the big guns, Slugma! Overheat!" Flannery couldn't help but smirk. She knew that this battle was won.

Naïve, May directed, "Try and dodge it, Thunderbolt" unknowing the effects of the attack the gym leader called.

"There's no use," Flannery commented.

Slugma's body into flames, causing the entire room to be engulfed in an intense, red hot light. May felt the heat radiate from her position on the field as a wave of worry washed over her body. Was her manectric going to be okay? Okay was an understatement as the newly evolved manectric howled in agony, collapsing in a heap as the fire bathed over him.

"Holy – what attack is that?" May cried out as she clumsily got out her pokédex, almost dropping the device between clumsy fingers. She clicked attacks and looked up the move that slugma was using.

"Overheat: A powerful and devastating fire attack that is unavoidable. The downside to this strong attack is that it lowers the user's special attack drastically," the pokédex informed her.

May growled as she covered her eyes, waiting for the attack to finally die down. She gasped. Thunderbolt was on the ground, all four legs sprawled out, one eye desperately opened as if he wanted to continue battling. She got out Thunderbolt's pokeball to return him, but Thunderbolt quickly got up and dodged the beam of red light, his teeth baring, his claws digging into the ground.

"Thunderbolt, what are you doing?" May exclaimed, flustered, a bead of sweat running down her neck. "Return!" She aimed the red return beam at Thunderbolt again, but he quickly stepped aside to dodge it. "You're going to get hurt again, and I couldn't live with myself if you end up in the critical condition part of the pokémon center again!"

"Please! Just let me battle! I know I can win! Don't you believe in me?" Thunderbolt pleaded as he gave May the famous puppy eyes.

"Argh, you sure do know how to make a girl feel bad." May shook her head and sighed. He was stubborn, just like her. "Fine! Thunderbolt, use a Thunder Wave!" The sounding of snapping electricity rung through her ears as the manectric charged up an attack.

"I have to admit, kid. You and your pokémon sure do have moxie. Too bad you need more than that the defeat me! Dodge it, Slugma, and finish off that manectric with another Overheat!"

"Crap."

* * *

Brendan and Muddy landed outside of yet another sand pit, still looking for the exit. The swampert was still cheerful while his trainer was awfully annoyed.

"Where's the exit, exit?" Muddy murmured to himself. "I mean, I've seen 'Exit' in big green lights but not 'Exit, Exit!'"

The boy blinked, stopping in his tracks, making his pokemon stop as well. "Did you just say, 'Exit, exit?'" Brendan asked, taking off his bandanna to get rid of excess sand in his hair.

"Yeah. That's what you told me to find, remember?"

Brendan took in a deep breath and exhaled. "I didn't mean 'exit, exit!' I meant exit as in 'Look, a way out!' or 'Hey look! The light at the end of the tunnel!' or even ' Exit: The freakin' way way out only used for idiots!' I didn't mean look for 'exit, exit' because I don't even know what that means!" Brendan huffed, frustrated.

"Duh! 'Exit, exit' is like ... two exits." Muddy grabbed for Brendan's hand and pulled up three of his fingers. "Two, see?" He looked at his trainer's fingers, confused. "Oops. This is three. My brain has brain farts sometimes." He pulled up a fourth finger. "There! Two!"

"Latios help me."

* * *

"Thunderbolt!" May cried as she ran to her pokémon's side.

The manectric lay flat on his side, burn marks scorched all over his body, shivering from too much heat. May quickly reached into her bag and took out some burn heal, spraying it on.

"That should help," she murmured as she put the empty burn heal in her bag. S he got out Thunderbolt's pokéball and returned him, thanking him for all he had done.

"There is a thin line between bravery and stubbornness," Flannery commented on Thunderbolt's downfall as May switched Pokeballs on her belt loop.

May frowned as she enlarged another pokéball, choosing not to respond to the gym leader's comment. "Go, Skittles!" The skitty came out in a beam of red light, mewing softly, her tongue licking her front paw softly. She then noticed her tail and tried to paw at it, mewing louder. "Faint Attack!"

Skittles looked up from her tail and obeyed orders, glowing a reddish color and disappeared, leaving Slugma confused. She appeared behind him and rammed her head into his molten lava body. Skittles got burned in the process, letting out a loud, screechy hiss from it, but it did leave Slugma with very little health left.

"Slugma, Overheat now!"

"Not this time! Finish it off with a tackle, Skittles!" With a mew for a battle cry, the skitty tackled the slugma again, its molten body tumbling around before drooping into a large heap.

"Slugma, return!" Flannery recalled her pokémon in a beam of red light. "Not bad," she muttered, "but you haven't seen the end yet!"

"Duh! It's not like I can't count," May retaliated sarcastically.

"... I choose you, Torkoal!"

In a blaze of white light, a black and reddish-orange tortoise type pokémon appeared on the battlefield, billowing white smoke coming out from her back. The torkoal's eyes were narrowed, but they weren't in spite; May figured that was about as wide as her eyes could go.

"Say hello to Torkoal!" Flannery proclaimed proudly, crossing her arms. "And now say bye-bye to your little skitty! Overheat her now!"

Torkoal roared and erupted hot molten lava from the opening on her volcano-shaped back, spreading the lava throughout the battlefield. Skittles hissed as the lava engulfed her in flames.

"Skittles!" May screamed, wincing at the amount of heat that hit her body. She couldn't even imagine how Skittles was feeling. Worried for her pokemon's health, she decided to throw in the towel, pulling out Skittles' pokeball. "Oh, return!"

"Overheat is a powerful attack coming from a Slugma," Flannery pointed out as May returned Skittles. "But coming from a torkoal ... Well let's say it's indestructible!"

"'Til now that is!" May cried, unleashing her starter pokémon. "Get 'em, Flare!" She smirked as the six foot three blaziken took place in front of the torkoal. Flare blew out a flame she created on the top of her claw tip, confident, just like her trainer. "Get ready to lose! Flare, Double Kick!"

Flare's long legs made her move quickly toward her opponent's side of the field. She lifted one of her heavy, muscular legs to kick Torkoal in the face, sending her skidding a few feet. Torkoal blew out gray smog from her nostrils, clearly angry with the attack.

"It isn't over 'til it's over! Torkoal, another Overheat!" Flannery commanded.

With another mighty cry, Torkoal erupted fiery hot lava from the volcano on her back, sending it hurling towards Flare. Flare's eyes turned to slits as the lava came closer, and in a desperate attempt to protect herself, she put her claws up in a defense position in hopes of shielding herself from the lava. It plunged into her body like a wave crashing onto shore, but she did not fall from pain. In fact she held her ground.

"All right, Flare!" May cheered as Flare ruffled her feathers, brushing the attack off. "Looks like Flare's fire type saved her from that one! And you thought you were hot stuff!"

Flannery, flustered, growled, "Overheat again!"

"That is SO getting old! Quick Attack, Flare!"

Flare kicked up dirt in her path and she ran quickly toward the torkoal, lowering herself as she gained speed, advancing on her opponent. Torkoal, lava boiling, ready to launch, was rapidly hit in the side by the blaziken's powerful legs.

"Torkoal!" Flannery cried as her torkoal fell over on her side, the lava spilling out of her back and scorching on her side. Immediately, the stout, fat legs of Torkoal wiggled about in pain as she tried to get back on her feet, but the struggle was in vain. She was too tired to stand back up, let alone fight.

"Torkoal is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" the judge declared, raising May's flag.

"All right, Flare, we won!" May jumped up in excitement, pumped a fist in the air, and ran over to her Flare, wrapping around her blaziken's lean frame and hugging her. "We won, we won, we won!" she cheered.

Flare smiled as the affection, her arms drooping slightly from tiredness.

"Darn," the gym leader muttered, snapping her fingers. "I thought grandpa said Overheat would win for sure ..." Shaking her head, Flannery walked over to May, pulling a badge out of the pocket of her jeans. "Congratulations, May! You deserve this!" She handed May an orange, metal badge shaped like a flame.

"All right! I got another badge!" May cheered, raising the new badge to the light, making it shine with brilliance. "Thanks, Flannery!"

"No problem, May!" Flannery replied, smiling. "This battle has taught me a lot: I have more to learn."

"So do I. We all have something new to learn."

* * *

"Brendan?" asked Muddy meekly, staring at the frame of his fallen trainer. He was hunched over a bit, his paws almost touching the ground.

"What?" his irritated trainer replied.

"Are you dead?"

"No. Almost, but no."

"Oh. If you die, can I have your bandanna? I think it'd look nice on me."

Before Brendan could come up response, he heard the glass doors of the gym behind him swing open, and he quickly sat up, brushed the dirt off his back, and turned his head, spotting a happy girl trainer skipping toward him.

"There you are!" May said warmly, running toward them. "Where were you, Brendan?"

"I got lost in there," Brendan admitted, blushing in embarrassment. He stood up, standing next to his pokemon. "But I knew you could win!"

May smiled a pearly white smile, her blue eyes glowing with pride. "Yup! It was awesome!"

"Wish I was there."

The swampert snickered. "That doesn't surprise me after you babbled on about May for so long."

Brendan immediately punched his laughing pokemon lightly in the arm, a blush rising to his cheeks. May looked at the two, confused.

"What did your swampert just say?"

"Um, nothing!" Brendan let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, congrats!"

May gave Brendan a final odd look before smiling back. "Thanks, weirdo," she replied, punching the boy lightly in the arm as well. "Come on. Let's go to the center. I need to heal my pokemon."

Ignoring his still laughing swampert, Brendan scuffed the ball of his foot against the grainy ground and followed after the girl trainer. "I'm going to kill you, Muddy," he murmured.

"Oh," the swampert remarked sadly, following after his trainer. He then perked up. "Can I still have your bandanna?"

"Whatever."

**Last Revision: 09/05/09**


	26. Piggyback

**Piggyback**

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* * *

**

"Why are we back here again?"

Brendan slapped his forehead as May glanced at him, curious. "You really do fail at this listening thing," he remarked dully. He trudged forward, May on his heels, flattening the clover grass underneath his mud-caked shoes. Luckily, they were near the ocean, the sea breeze cooling down his flushed skin. "The Lavaridge and Fallabor area is a dead end. We need to go back toward the Mauville area and head across the river toward the eastern half of Hoenn. I checked the news and they said that Rusturf Tunnel is cleared."

"Well, can't we take a break or something?" she groaned, slouching. "We've been walking all day!"

"Girls," he muttered. "Fine. I guess we are ahead of schedule." Brendan led May to the edge of a ledge and sat down on it, swinging his legs over the side. May sat down next to him, pulling out her water bottle from the side pocket. Meanwhile, Brendan pulled out his badge case from his backpack and admired all four of them, letting them glint in the light. "I'm still amazed that I got my fourth badge."

May bit around the tip of her water bottle and looked at Brendan through the side of her eye. "Why?" she asked. "Flannery uses fire types and, well, you have a swampert."

"Don't ruin my moment." Brendan closed his badge case with a satisfying shut and slipped it inside his backpack. "You know, since we're not going to be in this area for awhile, we should visit Petalburg again."

May looked at Brendan and beamed. "It would be awesome to see my dad again!" she remarked cheerfully before taking in another drink of water."

"Yep. We should challenge him for our fifth badge, too."

At this, May spat out her water all over Brendan's face and gagged. "Wha – what?" May gasped in between breaths.

Brendan wiped the water off his face with his hands, a look of disgust on his face. "I said we should challenge your dad for the Petalburg gym badge," he repeated, wiping his fingers on the edge of his shirt. "We're not going to be back here for awhile, so we kind of need to if we want to qualify for the league in time."

May started to breathe heavily like she were hyperventilating. "Oh, no, no, no!" She bit her lip with worry. "I can't battle my dad! He's too strong! I've seen him train before!"

"So what?" Brendan shrugged his shoulders. "You'll have an advantage over him. He only knows one of your pokémon, and she has long evolved. You know most of his pokémon by hear.! You can prepare for it in advance!"

"No way, Brendan! His pokémon are _way_ too strong. There's this one attack he uses, Facade–"

"My care meter is very low right now, May," Brendan interrupted, causing the girl to glare at him. He stood up, brushing the dirt off his rear. "We have to. Get over it."

"I don't want to, and you can't make me!" The girl remained sitting and crossed her arms, pouting. Brendan merely stared at the top of her bandanna-wearing head.

"May, come on," he complained, tapping his foot, rolling his eyes. "Let's go."

"No," she replied firmly.

"Stop being stubborn."

"I'm not."

"Then get up."

"No."

With a sigh, Brendan murmured, "Fine. Be that way," before bending down a bit and picking May up by the waist, swinging her over his shoulder. He used his arm to pin down May's squirming legs.

"Brendan Birch! You put me down right now!" she screeched, pounding her fists into his back.

May's beatings weren't strong enough to affect him as he carefully scaled down the ledge, landing softly. A light smirk on his face, the boy made his way to a small slope, continuing his trek toward the busting, stone city. Soon, the wild glass littered with dandelions transformed itself into the hard asphalt streets of Rustboro. Brendan ignored the stares that people gave him while May continued to screech like a bird. He admired the city, its tall building trying to grasp for the sky, the windows reflecting the bright sunlight. It only seemed like yesterday that he was here, trying to get his first gym badge.

The further Brendan walked, the weaker May's pounds and screams were, and they, too, disappeared as soon as he walked the straight street toward the opposite exit of the city, the sounds of city life fading from his ears. Brendan always enjoyed the bridge that lead from Petalburg Forest to Rustboro; it was such a peaceful, breezy area. Shifting May on his shoulder, he began his descent toward the creaky, wooden bridge, admiring the rippling lake.

"Are you still alive?" he asked the girl.

No answer.

He stared at the planks of the bridge, his long legs skipping every two. "Oh. So you're not talking to me, huh?"

Again, no answer.

Brendan finished crossing the bridge, his eyes fixated on the tiny flower shop that bordered the dark forest. "You're such a brat."

"I am not!" the girl finally shouted, smacking the back of Brendan's head, making him wince. "And can you stop carrying me like this?"

"I actually kind of like it," he mused.

"Because my a_s_s is, like, right next to your face?"

Brendan actually forgot about that, his hand still gripped tightly around May's thighs so she wouldn't fall off. "It's not a bad view," he joked only to receive another harsh blow to the head. Stars blurred his vision for a bit, but he quickly shook his head to get rid of them. "I mean, since you're such a slower walker, me carrying you is making us travel faster. And don't get your hopes up; I'm not carrying you everywhere."

"Wouldn't want you to anyway. It's uncomfortable." She squirmed.

"Oh, fine. It's not like you can turn back anyway." Brendan carefully dropped May on the ground and motioned toward the forest. It took him a few steps to notice that she wasn't following after him. "Ugh. What now?"

"My legs are numb. Carry me."

Brendan's eye twitched. "First you complain about me carrying you, and now you want me to carry you? Make up your mind."

"Carry me in a different way."

"Latios ..." he said under his breath, stomping over to May while removing his backpack straps from his shoulders. "Carry this, then."

May reluctantly took Brendan's bag in her hands, throwing it over her shoulder. "Oh, so now _I'm_ your mule?"

"No." He rolled his eyes. "It's just so you won't have that in your way."

"Of–" May let out a squeal as Brendan pulled her closer to his back and picked her up, letting all her weight balance on his back as he quickly scooped his arms underneath her legs. The girl understood what he was doing and wrapped her arms his shoulders. "Oh," she murmured. "Piggyback. Gotcha."

Shaking his head, Brendan entered the forest, the cool air a relief to his sweaty neck. Petalburg forest, although located in a relatively hot part of the region, was always cold and moist, dew dripping off the foliage. Vines wrapped themselves around the thick bases of trees. Amongst the trees were chirping taillow, and he occasional heard the scraping and rattling of a zigzagoon scratching and nibbling at something. Bug catchers were on their hands and knees, weaving through the grass, looking for traces of bug pokémon.

"Brendan?" the girl on his back asked quietly.

Brendan snapped out of his thoughts, focusing his eyes on the dirt trail ahead. "Yeah?"

"Why are you nice to me all of a sudden?"

What a weird question. "Um, why do you ask that?" he questioned back, confused.

May wrapped her arms tighter around Brendan, noticing the exit to the forest up ahead. "Well, you were kind of mean to me when we first started, and you used to make fun of me when I got tired, and ... I don't know. All this stuff. So why are you being so nice?"

Rays of sunlight peeked their ways through the thick branches of trees, decorating the forest flooring in a striped pattern. Brendan adjusted May on her back, slightly tightening his grip around her thighs. "Why not?"

May's eyes squinted at the sudden bombardment of sunlight when the two exited the forest. She watched as Brendan scuffed the ground, clouding the air space in front of them in a light dust. "I thought you didn't want to travel with me."

"And I didn't."

"Oh ..." Brendan felt the breath of May's sigh against the top of his head. "Well–"

"Let me finish," he interrupted. "I mean, it was obvious that you didn't want to travel with me and that I didn't want to travel with you at the beginning of our journey. But, you know ... we've been traveling for a few months now, and we've gotten pretty close."

"Dare you say we're friends now, Brendan?" she asked slyly.

"We have been, May."

This made her smile. "Just when I think you're a jerk, you say something nice like that."

"I know, right? I'm just full of surprises."

May let out a small laugh, but it was short-lived when Brendan followed the dirt road into the quaint town of Petalburg. The sound of laughing children playing by the town's lake rung through her ears along with the busy chatter of neighbors as they talked by their white picket fences. Brendan continued to trudge forward, adjusting May on her back once more.

"We got here pretty fast," she remarked, turning her head to look at the scenery.

"Really? Felt like it was hours to me," Brendan replied. "I don't get why you're so nervous about battling your dad."

"Because it's my dad," she whined, pressing her head into Brendan's hair. "He was the one that taught me everything about pokémon. How am I supposed to beat him?"

"Whatever."

"'Whatever' doesn't answer my question."

"Whatever."

"Brendan!"

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Brendan stopped in his tracks and turned his head a bit, staring the girl in the eye. His fiery, red eyes caught May off guard. "You and I both got a lot better in battling since the last time we've been here. Don't underestimate yourself."

"How do you know that? How do you know we got better?"

Brendan was about to answer when someone yelled a sharp, "Hey, you!" He slowly turned around, May still gripping onto him, noticing a girl waving them down.

"Yeah?" he asked back as the girl caught up to them, panting.

"You're Brendan Birch, aren't you?" she asked between pants of breath.

"Er. Yes. Why?"

"You don't remember me?"

"Um ..." Brendan examined the girl in front of him, May still clinging onto him. She didn't look any older than he, give or take a few months. Fiery red hair framed her face, bangs partially covering her bright, green eyes. Her clothes were baggy, a pair of khaki cargo pants hanging loosely around her hips, though her navy blue tank top managed to reveal that she had some curves. "No ...?"

"Idiot. I'm Kath, remember!"

He blinked, still not getting it.

"You know. Kath?" she repeated. "Kathryn Kasumi from pokémon school?

He stared this time.

"Ugh, forget it! I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" she exclaimed as she held a pokéball arm's length away from her. She flicked her bangs out of her eyes.

Brendan turned his head and smirked at May. "So you want to know how we both got better in battle?"

She nodded.

"I'll prove it now with you _still_ on my back."

"Aren't you amazing?" the girl replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Nevertheless, she laced her fingers together, tightening her grip around Brendan. Brendan and Kathryn found a clearing outside the city in a patch of grass, and the two stood a bit's away to make room for a battle.

"So how many pokémon each?" Brendan asked as he pulled out a pokéball from his belt, one arm supporting May's weight.

Kath threw a pokéball in the air and caught it. "How about two versus two?" she suggested.

"Fine with me." Reeling as far as his arm could go with May still on his back, Brendan threw the pokéball in his hand. "All right, Silver, come out!"

In a burst of white light, Brendan's chosen pokémon appeared, quickly taking to the air. Silver managed to evolve from a nincada to a ninjask in a training session back in Lavaridge town. Since then, the ninjask loved flying after being on the land for so long, his ability to fly only adding on to his quickness. His white wings beat the air quickly, and he buzzed back and forth, silver claws clicking together. His red, beady eyes stared at the opposing trainer in front of him, the sunlight reflecting the gold plating that protected the top of his head.

Kath observed the pokémon in front of her before deciding to use the pokémon she already had in her hand. "I choose you, Sparkie!" Kath threw the pokéball, and the ball spiraled before releasing the creature within. Sparkie turned out to be a pikachu, a small, mouse pokémon. The creature wagged its lightning bolt-shaped tail, her yellow fur ruffling in the wind. She squeezed her red cheeks, electricity sparking from it

"All right, Silver!" Brendan yelled, his arms wrapped tightly around May's legs. "Slash!"

"Thunderbolt, Sparkie!" Kath countered.

Sparkie's red cheeks scrunched up slightly as she released a bolt of lightning towards the ninjask. Thanks to his speed, Silver was able to dodge although missed his chance to slash at the pikachu, flying over her head with a slight buzzing noise.

"Use Leech Life, Silver!" Brendan commanded.

Silver shot out a tiny, needle-like pin from his mouth, and it punctured Sparkie's skin, zapping some of her energy, making her squeal, trying to scratch where the needle was. The needle returned to the ninjask and punctured him as well, giving him some of Sparkie's energy.

Brendan's opponent gritted her teeth. "Agility, Sparkie, and then charge up energy for another Thunderbolt!" Kath directed.

Sparkie took off like a rocket and became a yellow blur as she sped around Silver. The sound of electricity crackling resounded through the open field, but Brendan nor the ninjask couldn't see where was was. Silver spun around slowly, trying to spot the pikachu, but every time he did, Sparkie ran away in a blur of yellow fur.

"Now, Sparkie! Thunderbolt!"

Sparkie ran directly under Silver, and before the bug could fly away, Sparkie released the charged up energy from her body in a mighty crash of lightning. The ninjask took the attack head on and quickly dropped to the ground, wings twitching.

"Silver, return!" Brendan recalled his pokémon, thanking it for a job well done. He shrunk down his ninjask's pokéball and enlarged another. "Get ready for round two! Go, Sirius!"

Sirius, too, had evolved into a mightyena while battle, but he did it while battling Flannery. Brendan and May had a bit of a laugh at that, considering her electrike also evolved into a manectric during her own gym battle. The two, for some reason or another, had built up a fierce rivalry, so the two evolving under the same circumstances seemed appropriate.

Sirius burst out from his pokéball in a blaze of light, pawing at the ground, his wet nose twitching from the sea breeze. Truth be told, Sirius really hadn't changed from his poochyena form other than getting bigger and his face becoming more fierce and shapelier. His ears were still perked up and soft, his tongue still hung between sharp teeth, and his eyes, although more vicious, were still the same piercing red. He did shed more fur as Brendan unfortunately realized when he woke up to piles of black hair littered across the room they rented in the Lavaridge pokémon center.

Something poked him in the head, and he turned his head sharply, glaring at the smiling girl trainer still clinging onto his back.

"You're in battle, remember?" she remarked.

"Oh ... right." Shaking his head, Brendan ordered, "Crunch, Sirius!"

"Agility, Sparkie!" Kath retaliated.

Sirius sprinted towards Sparkie and was about to take a bite out of her, but she, too, dashed off behind Sirius in a blur of yellow fur. Sirius bit down on his tongue in the process, and he roared with with pain, sticking his tongue out to air it out.

"Now Thunderbolt!" Kath cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

It was kind of odd to be right besides Brendan in battle, and not just beside him, but literally on top of him. She had never been that close to someone while in battle– not even her dad—and she heard everything that Brendan muttered out loud. She heard his curses when his pokémon got hit and his quiet whoops whenever his pokémon landed a hit. She never realized it, but she wondered if she made the same noises Brendan did while in battle.

She felt his movements – the tension in his back muscles. She felt his shoulders stiffen when Sparkie charge up her cheeks and shocked his mightyena from behind. She stared at the back of his neck. A light sweat formed there, resting in the lines of his strained neck, and she observed how Brendan's fists seemed to clench and unclench, depending on the circumstance.

"You can do it, Sirius," she heard him whisper. The energy that radiated from Brendan's body was felt by May. She clenched onto him tighter, invigorated by his battle as well.

Sirius clenched his teeth furiously and turned around, his eyes glaring coldly at the mouse pokémon. While the attack was powerful, it wasn't enough to knock him out.

"Sirius, Take Down now!" Brendan yelled.

Sirius ran and jumped up into the air, landing on Sparkie. She fell onto the ground with a loud thump, Sirius pinning her down by his four paws. She squirmed, but Sirius only gave her a triumphant glare.

May could feel the excitement pump in Brendan's veins. "Finish her off with Crunch!" he proudly proclaimed.

Sirius bent down his head and bit Sparkie's pointed ears. She screeched in pain and started wiggling as if trying to get out, but Sirius felt her movement get weaker, the frantic wiggles growing more faint until she gave up, eyes closed. Sirius let her go and trotted over to Brendan for a pat on the head.

"Return, Sparkie!" Kath returned her mouse pokémon and whispered kinds words to her. She then enlarged another pokéball as she shrunk down Sparkie's. With a flick of her wrist, she released another pokémon. "Let's go, Yurei!"

Brendan and May watched as pokémon appeared before their eyes. He was a tiny thing, eyes shaped like diamonds. The pokémon did a weird, almost evil, giggle as he jumped up and down, lacing his sharp, purple claws together. His back was hunched, his shoulders raised. Both trainers recognized the pokémon as a sabelye.

"Yurei, Shadow Ball!" commanded his trainer.

Yurei stood up straight and wiggled his fingers, a small, purple flame appearing between his palms. He threw the small, dark ball of energy toward the mightyena, and Sirius took the attack full on, blasting him of his feet. The beast tumbled backward a bit (May noting that Brendan let out a gasp from this) before groggily getting back on all fours, only one eye open.

"You can do it, Sirius!" Brendan tried to pump up his pokémon with encouraging cheers. "Crunch!"

"Yurei, Shadow Punch!" Kath commanded quickly.

As Sirius darted over toward the sabelye, baring his teeth, Yurei's right fist glowed with purple flames. She sidestepped to avoid Sirius' sharp teeth and punched him in the jaw, making the mightyena's mouth close with a sickening crunch. Dazed, Sirius stumbled back a bit on clumsy paws before falling onto his side, too tired to fight.

"All right! We won!" shouted Kath excitedly, running toward her pokémon and giving it a high five.

Brendan begrudgingly returned his pokémon back to his ball, but he gave it words of praise anyway, his eyes sparking with warmth. Minimizing it and hooking it back on his belt, Brendan, still holding onto May, walked across the grassy field to Kath, extending his hand in congratulations. "You were great," he remarked with a smile. May could tell he genuinely meant it; his voice was sincere and not filled with spite.

Kath returned her pokémon and shook Brendan's hand. "So where is it?" she demanded.

Brendan blinked. "Er, what?"

She sighed. "Brendan Birch, you'll never change," Kath said, pulling her hand away. "Forget it. I gotta go heal my pokémon anyway." She then looked up at May and nodded. "What's going on here anyway?"

Brendan shrugged, shifting May a bit from doing so. "You're better off not asking," he replied.

"I figure. It was nice to see you again, Brendan. You two make a cute couple by the way." Kath winked and waved goodbye to the two before they could reply, heading inside the small town toward the pokémon center.

As Brendan blushed at the comment, May affectionately ruffled the hair of her friend's hair, making him groan in annoyance. "You did well."

"I lost, weirdo," Brendan muttered as he, too, began to walk toward the city, his arms still scooping up May's legs.

"Nevertheless, I thought you did," she replied. "And that's all that matters. I learned a lot."

"Whatever."

"I'm serious!"

"I never said you were kidding." Brendan turned his head and smiled at May. "Enjoying it up there?"

She nodded. "Enjoying it down there?" She winked.

"Ugh."

"I'm cute, and you know it."

"Sometimes."

Brendan laughed as he received another light thwack in the head as he made his way toward the pokémon center.

**Last Revised: 09/06/09**


	27. Boxers and Balance

**Disclaimer**: I DO own Pokémon thank you very much. (waits 10 seconds and then points at you and laughs) Haha! You actually believed me.

Well, I'm back!

Muddy: (comes out with cobwebs all over him) Joy

Flare: (coughs) Dusty in that Pokéball.

Anyway, let me explain the entire story crap thing!

Muddy: Boo-yay! No wait, boo.

Anyway, my computer like totally-

Muddy: Yeah, "totally!"

-crashed, so I had to reload all the stupid programs but then the stupid printer wouldn't work! So then I had to fix that damn thing (and is STILL doesn't work) so I switched printers but the sad thing is that it doesn't have any ink for magenta, so that makes the entire printer not frickin' work (print, whatever) and now your wondering what the hell does this have to do with the story? Well everything on my word processor got deleted, and you now you're asking why don't you use your disk? See, my disk was full when I typed and didn't want to delete it yet just in case a chapter went bad so I saved on the computer instead. But then, the computer crashed two days after and I was like half way done with a chapter for this and now I have to retype it and ugh! All my other new chapters for the other stories got deleted too so. Yeah, that's my story.

Flare: -.-

What?

Flare: -.-

What?

Flare: -.-

WHAT ALREADY?

Flare: Nothing, sheesh. -.-

Muddy: My turn! x.x

Flare: For what?

Muddy: The face game!

Flare: Whatever.

* * *

**Boxers and Balance**

**

* * *

**

At the crack of dawn, Brendan woke up, his ruby-red eyes gleaming with pure happiness. Because today was the day. Today is the day that-

"I'm going to get my fifth badge!" Brendan exclaimed. "Yes! Finally we're at the half way point of our journey! May! May! May, guess what?" He walked over to May's bunk bed and started hopping up and down like an eccentric Spoink. "May! May! Hello? Anyone in the house? May!"

"Grr ... _what_?" May sat up angrily with a scowl perched on her face. She eyed Brendan wearily. "Yes, B Boy? How may I help you this _fine_ morning? This fine, SIX o'clock, morning? Is there something you would like to say?"

"Yes. Um, hi?" Brendan said meekly. May wasn't the one to wake up at the crack of dawn apparently.

May bit her lip and screamed, "HI!" before falling back down and going back to sleep.

"But May!" Brendan whined. "You haven't even heard the news yet! I'm getting my fifth badge on the fifth day of the fifth week of the fifth month! Isn't that awesome?"

May groaned and sat back up. "No."

Brendan stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms. "Meanie."

"Why, I thank you full heartedly for the compliment," May retorted sarcastically. "Now if you excuse me, I need two more hours of sleep. It's part of my daily routine, you know." And with that, May picked up her covers and fell backward, hitting her head on her fluffy, white pillows.

"Aw, come on, May!" Brendan groaned as he put his hands on May's shoulder and tried to shake her awake. "Fifth day on the fifth week of the fifth month-"

"Months don't have five weeks, smart one," May said caustically. "Months have only four weeks so it would actually be the fifth day of the first week of the sixth month when you get your fifth badge."

"But saying the entire fifth thing is cooler!" Brendan exclaimed. "Please, May! Wake up! I want to get my badge as fast as I can!"

May sat up and sighed. "The gym's not even open yet," she pointed out.

Brendan shrugged. "So what's your point? Is there a point to this?"

May, for the third time that morning, fell backward onto her pillow. "No, Brendan," she said simply. "There is no point of the gym not being open at six in the morning. Now go back to sleep!"

"Aw, but I don't feel like it!" Brendan whined. "Can I sleep with you, May?"

SMACK!

"Pervert!" May slapped Brendan across the face, causing the white-haired trainer to stumble back to his bed.

Falling back, Brendan pressed his left hand on his red, swollen cheek. He winced and glared at May. "What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed. "All I asked was if I could-" He watched fearfully as May rose her hand. "I didn't mean it like that!" he said quickly. "Really, I do! I mean, I want to sleep with you but not in the same bed, you know? Sleep ... at the same time."

"Uh huh," May said dully. "I thought you didn't want to sleep anymore."

"I lied," Brendan said, lying again.

May shook her head and laid back down to sleep for a few more hours. Seconds passed by, minutes ticked by and so on and so forth. All of a sudden, a slight gurgling was heard coming from May's side of the room.

May popped up like a piece of toast in the toaster. "Now since I'm awake," she started. "I'm starved! Let's go down and eat!"

Brendan stared dully at the girl trainer, his hand still clutching his face. "Great." He shook his head. "Just great."

* * *

May poured the rest of the milk in the pitcher into her tiny glass cup as she shoved a fork-full of buttery, syrupy pancakes into her mouth. She smiled as she chewed her food thoughtfully.

Brendan chugged down his glass of milk before sighing in relief. "Damn, May," he said, awed. "You devoured those pancakes like a garbage truck ... if garbage trucks can eat that is."

May finished the last of her pancakes and drank the rest of her milk before speaking. "Why thank you!" She laughed. "A girl has to eat you know!"

"While everyone else starves," Brendan said smartly, resulting in the whacking of his shoulder. "Ow! Okay, I've been smacked in the face and now I got punched in the shoulder! Jeez, May. Are you on PMS or what?"

May decided to ignore this comment as she threw away the scraps into the trash can. Wiping her hands on her biker shorts, she glanced downward toward Brendan who was still sitting down. "So, are you ready to fight my daddy?"

Brendan smirked. "Readier than ever! Time to kick some butt!"

"Don't get too cocky, understand?" May warned. "My dad is pretty tough, if not tougher than that. Normal type Pokémon can learn pretty much any type of move, so get ready for any type of surprise. Also, be careful around the attack Facade. All my dad's Pokémon have that move. It's a pretty powerful attack but if the user gets paralyzed, poisoned, or burned, their attack power increases."

"Okay, May. I know all this stuff. I did read the Pokémon Guide last night after all."

"Just making sure, B Boy. You do tend to be a little ... a little-"

"A little what?"

"I don't know yet. I'm still looking for the word."

"Fineeee."

"Ooh, its on the tip of my tongue."

May ..."

"Hang on."

"Out with it already!"

"Fine, sheesh. Your battling techniques tends to be wild. You seem to go more by chance then strategy at first until you seize up your opponent which is good but can be really bad at times."

Brendan just nodded as he stood up. Walking over to the entrance, he held the door for May. "After you, madam."

"Haha. I'm still not letting you win a Pokémon battle against me."

"Damn."

Brendan and May walked to the gym in complete silence. May could sense Brendan was getting more nervous by the second despite the cocky smirk etched on his face. She shook her head and stopped short in front of the wooden-looking building.

"So." Brendan looked at May. "This is it, huh?"

May shuddered as a gust of wind blew across her face. "Yeah," she murmured. "Scared?"

Brendan snorted. "Why should I be?"

"Remember, watch your cockiness. You never know when it's going to come back and bite you in the butt!"

"Speaking of butt, I'm going to kick some!"

May shook her head again. Why bother telling Brendan helpful advice when he just turns it into a arrogant yet witty sentence?

"So are we going in or what?" Brendan asked. "Staring is fun and all but-"

"Okay, we'll go in. Don't get all anal on me." May walked up the stone steps while Brendan pondered on what "anal" meant.

"Hey, wait up!" Brendan yelled as he rushed up the stone steps to catch up with May. Catching his breath, he pulled open the doors and stepped inside after May. He observed the room with careful eyes and frowned. "Where's Norman?" he asked quietly.

"Think, Brendan." May slapped her forehead. "Most gym leaders have a challenge of some sort before actually revealing themselves. In my dad's case, he has several rooms filled with different trainers. All of their Pokémon are normal types, but they have different strategies. Like one trainer may take speed over strength, another might stall and tire out the opponent's Pokémon while the other heals in between the battle."

"I see," Brendan said. "How many rooms are there to get to Norman anyway?"

"I think about three."

Brendan sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Let's go in that one," he said, pointing to one door. He walked over and read the description. "The Strength Room. Does that mean that this trainer rather take the offensive than the defensive?"

"Pretty much." May nodded. "Ready for round one?"

"Oh yeah." Brendan smirked as he slid open the wooden door. He stepped in quietly, and his eyes rested on a boy Cooltrainer who had a Pokéball ready at his right hand side. He was dressed in a red and white jogging suit, the jacket zipped down slightly, revealing a plain, white shirt underneath.

The Cooltrainer smirked at the sight of Brendan as he held the Pokéball arm's length away from him. "I know you. I saw you on the Pokémon Report with Gabby and T.Y. Well, Mr. Hotshot, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" He ran a hand through his blond hair, his dark blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "So bring it!"

May snorted. "Great. The world has two arrogant Brendan Birchs. Fun," she murmured to herself.

Brendan shook his head, the same smug smiled etched on his face. "I thought the challenger was suppose to challenge the junior trainer, not vice versa. You're just jealous that I got on television and you didn't! And at least I don't look like a human Pokéball."

Cooltrainer looked down at his clothing of red and white. Rolling his eyes, he started to speak again: "If you want to get to Norman, you're going to get passed me! I specialize in strength because nothing can beat brute force!"

"Then why aren't your training at Brawly's gym?"

"So let's battle now!" Cooltrainer released his Linoone, ignoring Brendan's comment and immediately injected it with an X Attack. "With this X attack," Cooltrainer began to explain, "I can boost up my Linoone's power!"

"Oh really?" Brendan said sarcastically. "Thanks for telling me some useless information!" Brendan enlarged a Pokéball. "Let's get 'em, Sirius!" He sent out his Bite Pokémon in a blaze of light. "Start things off with Crunch now!"

"Linoone, dodge and use Headbutt!" Cooltrainer quickly retaliated.

Sirius sprinted toward Linoone and snapped at his tail but Linoone jumped up into the air, causing Sirius to bite his tongue. The Linoone landed on the floor gracefully and rammed his head into Sirius's body, causing the hyena Pokémon to collide into a wooden wall.

"Those X Attacks really _do _boost up a Pokémon's attack power!" May exclaimed in surprise as Sirius slid down back to the floor. "A normal Linoone wouldn't have enough power to headbutt a Mightyena into a wall!"

"Sirius, Quick Attack now!" Brendan ordered.

Sirius hopped back onto his feet and became a blur of black fur. Linoone was hit unexpectedly and skidded across the ground. Linoone shook his head as if shaking the attack off.

"Gonna have to take it up a notch Birch if you wanna beat me!" Cooltrainer said triumphantly. "Linoone, Slash attack now!"

"Sirius, stand your ground!" Brendan countered.

"What the – Sirius is going to get _killed _if Brendan doesn't think of something!" May cried quietly in alarm. "That Headbutt was strong! I wonder how strong its Slash is."

"Stupid." Cooltrainer shook his head. "Now you have to suffer the consequences! Go Linoone! Slash 'em good!"

Linoone nodded and used his left paw and slashed across the unmoving Sirius's face, who just blinked and growled in return.

"What the?" Cooltrainer exclaimed in annoyance. "With X Attack and Linoone's powerful moves, that should have fainted that Mightyena for sure!" He gaped as Linoone began to glow a bright red. "What the?"

Brendan held back his laughter. "Oh, stop gawking. It's making me blush!" he said in a high pitched, girly tone, laughing soon afterward. "Don't look so stupid. You know that most Mightyenas have the characteristic 'intimidate' where the opposing Pokémon loses attack power when the characteristic is in affect! So therefore, you just wasted an X Attack. Sirius, Crunch now!"

Sirius caught the off guarded Linoone by the tail with his mouth and spun it around. He let go and Linoone crashed into the bench that May was sitting on.

"We have plenty of power even if we don't have X Attack!" Cooltrainer stated confidently. "Linoone, Headbutt again!"

"Dodge, Sirius, with Faint Attack!" Brendan retorted.

Linoone used the bench to hop off of so he could have more power behind the Headbutt attack. But just before Linoone was going to whack Sirius, the Bite Pokémon disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a bewildered racoon.

"Be alert and watch for that Mightyena, Linoone!" Cooltrainer instructed.

Linoone used its sharp senses to try and sense Sirius.

Cooltrainer gasped. "Behind you, Linoone!"

Too late. Sirius used his body on a full force tackle attack. Linoone would have crashed into Brendan if he didn't duck just in time.

"Ah! Linoone, return!" Cooltrainer called back his Linoone in alarm before sighing in relief. Shrinking down the Linoone's Pokéball and sighing again he said, "Fine, you can pass." The two metal doors that covered the wooden doors slid inward at these words. "The door on your left is the speed room and the door on your right is the one-hit KO room. Each one if really different, so I would pick the one that you're good against."

"Kay, thanks!" Brendan returned Sirius to his Pokéball and ran toward the left room which had the words "Speed Room" printed on it. Sliding it over with May behind him, he entered the room to be greeted with a girl with green hair who was wearing the female equivalent of the boy Cooltrainer's outfit.

May sat down on another bench as she shrugged. Why were all her dad's junior trainers part of the Cooltrainer group?

"Hey, I know you!" the girl Cooltrainer squealed in delight. "You're-"

"Brendan Birch, I know." Brendan held in his sigh. "Son of the great Professor Birch and seen on the Pokémon Report, yada, yada, yada. I just want to get past you and the other trainer so I can finally battle the gym leader!"

"Geez!" The Cooltrainer was taken aback by Brendan's attitude. "I'm glad they didn't show your attitude on the show otherwise you would have been beaten to the bloody pulp! How does Norman's daughter travel with you?"

"You get use to it after awhile." May shrugged. "And he's only arrogant when he's about to battle a gym leader. I think it covers up his nervousness."

"I'm not nervous!" Brendan fidgeted with a Pokéball. "Kinda freaked out but-"

"Nervous," May stated with a sigh.

"Um, right," the Cooltrainer said. "I specialize in normal-type Pokémon with excellent speed. Do you think you can catch up with my velocity?"

"It's not a bad speech if you were a gym leader," May muttered under her breath.

Brendan smirked. "We'll just have to see, don't we? I choose you, Muddy!"

"I choose you, Delcatty!"

In two bright flashed of white light, a Mudcat and a delicate feline appeared.

Cooltrainer injected a X Speed into Delcatty before starting the battle. "Delcatty, Doubleslap now!"

"Dodge, Muddy, and use Mud Shot!" Brendan ordered.

Delcatty, with her new found speed, quickly darted toward Muddy and gave him a series of slaps with her two paws. Muddy stumbled to the ground but was able to pelt the Feline Pokemon with mud.

"Muddy is fast, but that Delcatty is faster now that its injected with X Speed," May observed. "Muddy didn't even have a chance of dodging at least one out of those five Doubleslap attack."

"Muddy, use Take Down now!"

"Quick Delcatty! Dodge with Faint Attack!" Cooltrainer countered.

Muddy jumped into the air and body slammed into the floor as Delcatty disappeared into the air just like Sirius did before. Delcatty appeared behind Muddy and used an attack and flipped into the air, landing hard on the fallen Swampert before jumping off him.

"Muddy, Iron Tail now!" Brendan chose the new attack that he taught Muddy a few days ago.

Muddy's tail shone with silver light as he heaved it upwards and brought it down heavily where Delcatty was. But at the last moment, Delcatty sped out of the way as if she teleported to another place in the room, causing Muddy's tail to crash down and crack a few wooden panels in the floor.

"Great! Dad's going to get mad about that," May murmured.

"Delcatty, Strength attack now!" Cooltrainer commanded.

"The only way that I can attack is if I either slow down that Delcatty or go head to head when Delcatty is attacking," Brendan thought out loud. "Try your Take Down again, Muddy!"

The two Pokemon sprinted towards each other, leaving uplifted dirt in their tracks. What seemed like hours – when it was actually a few second – they finally collided head on. Muddy, being the taller and heavier out of the two, only stumbled back but Delcatty fell on her back, her legs flailing about in the air. She quickly stood up but instead of a cold glare or a growl that most Pokemon give their opponent head on, Delcatty only smiled and winked adorably at Muddy.

Brendan immediately caught on and cussed mentally though he wasn't able to finish his cuss, for the Cooltrainer's cheering caught him off guard.

Muddy blinked twice and let it sink in before he got little pink hearts in his eyes. He stood entranced as Delcatty worked her Cute Charm.

"Cute Charm, huh?" May thought out loud. "Brendan has to deal with a love struck Swampert along with a frickin' fast Delcatty! What's he gonna do now?"

"Concentrate, Muddy," Brendan pleaded. "It's just a girl Pokémon that winked at you. No big deal. You can probably get any girl Swampert anytime you want!"

"But the Delcatty is right here!" Muddy protested, not taking his eyes off Delcatty. "While the others are not here!"

"Delcatty, while he's infatuated! Doubleslap now!"

"Muddy, please!" Brendan begged. "Dodge and try another Iron Tail!"

Delcatty began her series of slaps while Muddy stood there with a love struck grin on his face, unfazed as Delcatty slapped his face. On the third slap though, Muddy seemed to have slipped out of his trance.

"What the?" he said, startled. Muddy flicked up his tail and it shone with silver light. He brought it down heavily upon Delcatty's back who was still busy trying to slap Muddy silly with her sharp claws. A sickening crack was heard as Muddy's tail brought Delcatty down flat onto the wooden floor.

"Well, that sounded good," May said sardonically.

"Delcatty, no!" Cooltrainer cried.

Muddy brought up his tail and smirked triumphantly seeing as his opponent blacked out.

"Return!" Cooltrainer recalled her Pokémon and whispered words of praise to her. "Well, I will admit," Cooltrainer said, "that you are a pretty good battler, but too bad that you have a pretty arrogant, supercilious, I'm-the-high-and-mighty attitude going on."

"Hey! It's only when I battle!" Brendan argued.

Cooltrainer shook her head and snapped her fingers, causing the metal doors to slid inwardly again. "The door on your right is the Defense Room while the door on your left is the Special Room. Choose wisely."

"I choose the defense room!" Brendan went to the right. He stopped a few feet from the door when he turned around. "Coming, May?"

May slowly got up and got rid of some leg cramps. "Of course! Can't wait to see when my dad kicks your butt!"

"Haha, hilarious!" Brendan rolled his eyes.

Two battles and a trip to the Pokémon Center later, Brendan and May stood outside Norman's gym once again.

Brendan heaved a sigh before opening the wooden doors to face Norman. It was already two o' clock by the time Brendan finished battling most of the Cooltrainers in the gym. Getting tired of beating Linoone's and Delcatty's, Brendan decided to go to the big league, the gym leader. He placed an unsteady hand on the bar that opened the door before turning back to May. "Well, this is it," he stated. "I'm going to get my fifth badge."

"Oh, no way!" May gasped in surprised. "I thought I was just sitting in my dad's gym because there was no other place to sit!"

"I hope you're being sarcastic."

"Would be kinda sad if I wasn't now, wouldn't it?"

Brendan rolled his eyes for the second time that day as he pushed open the door. He entered the room with May trailing behind. A slight clink clink caught his attention, but he ignored it, both nervous and eager to battle Norman.

"Oh great, my Pokéball fell off my belt!" May rushed down the stone staircase and retrieved her Pokéball. She ran up the stair again and was about to enter the gym when a man opened the door.

"I'm sorry, miss," the man apologized. "But I was given direct orders to not anyone to enter the gym from now until next week." To make his point, he looked at the Cooltrainers leaving through the back door.

"But my friend is battling the gym leader right now!" May put emphasis on the last word. "I want to cheer him on!"

"Impossible," the man scoffed. "All challengers, if they enter, will be refused by Norman! Your friend should be coming back outside in a few minutes."

"But can I check?" May asked politely. "My friend is real good friend's with the leader, and Norman could let him challenge him." If felt weird for May to say her dad's name but she didn't feel like saying that she was the leader's daughter.

"I'm sorry, little girl, but you can't enter."

_Little girl?_ May's right eye began to twitch as she thought to herself. _Who does this guy think he is?_

"I'm no little girl, pal!" she argued, poking a finger in the man's chest. "I can take care of myself! And by the way I'm the leader's daughter, May!"

"Oh in that case, Norman says to tell his daughter to stop yelling at me. He knew that you were going to get angry."

May huffed and walked down the stone steps. She knew that Brendan would be able to battle Norman no matter what the guy said. So what was a girl to do in Petalburg? There weren't many shops here, she didn't really know Wally's parents well enough to actually knock on their door and visit them and wild Zigzagoons and Taillows were too weak for her Pokémon to train on. So now what?

May sat on a cold step and shivered. The wind was blowing hard today which caused her skins to prick up they tried to keep herself warm. She sighed and dug through her bag. Maybe she could reorganize her stuff while Brendan battled.

* * *

Brendan quickly ran through the rooms, barely waiting for the wooden doors to open all the way. He came to the last door that said "Gym Leader Norman" and opened it slowly, peeking his head through the crack.

Norman didn't hear Brendan for he was busy packing up a suitcase full of clothes.

"Um, is this a bad time?" Brendan piped up as he entered the room.

"What?" Norman was sitting on his suitcase, trying to zip it up but was alarmed when someone yelled. He sprung up in surprise, causing clothes to fly up into the air.

Brendan caught a shirt with one hand and a pair of pants with the other. "These yours?" he joked.

Norman pulled off a pair of shorts off of his head. Throwing the clothes back into his suitcase, he smiled at Brendan. "Sorry, Brendan. Just packing up. Going to visit Littleroot again, see my wife, talk to Professor Birch, and so on."

"I see," Brendan replied. "Well how about one more battle with me before you leave? You know, a gym battle for the Balance Badge?"

Norman laughed as he kicked his suitcase aside. "Sure. Bryan!" He called out a Cooltrainer's name. "Can you judge the battle between Brendan Birch and me?"

"It would be a honor, sir," Bryan replied hastily. He jogged over to the judge's stand as Brendan threw the clothes over to Norman who was picking them up.

Brendan and Norman took both their places in the trainer boxes as Bryan raised up both his arms.

"Brendan Birch from ... uh-"

"Littleroot," Brendan finished for him.

"Right! Brendan Birch from Littleroot Town challenges Gym Leader Norman to a gym battle. It shall be a three-on-three match! No time limit! The challenger shall be able to substitute his Pokémon, while the leader cannot!" Bryan looked at both leader and challenger before lowering his arms. "Begin!"

"Let's go, Slakoth!" Norman chose his Pokémon first.

"I choose you, Kadabra!"

* * *

"Let's see here." May opened all the pockets of her bag. "My Acro bike that I used, like, twice, some Super Potions, an old Pokéball, my PokéGear, My PokéNav, my PokéDex, a badge case that I forget to put my badges in, a ribbon I forgot to put on Flare when she won that competition in Verdanturf when she was a Combusken, a – what's this?" She pulled out a pair of Brendan's dirty boxers decorated with red and white Pokéballs. "Eww!" She immediately dropped the boxers in disgust. "You have a sick and twisted mind, Brendan!" Grabbing the dirty boxers with the tips of her fingers, she smirked when she spotted a flagpole with no flag on it. "That pole could use some decorating." She laughed, an evil glint in her eye.

A flash of white light appeared from beside her and Flare took form.

"You're like that annoying Psyduck that pops out of the girl character's – Misty or whatever – bag in the earlier seasons of the Pokémon anime," May commented.

"Is that good?" Flare asked. "I couldn't help by overhear what you said about Brendan's underpants and the pole."

"Oh yeah," May said evilly. "I'm going to get him back for throwing me into that lake last week."

"What's wrong about that?" Flare asked, puzzled.

"Well, it was cold!" May whined. "And the lake was freezing!"

Flare stayed silent before responding. "Whatever you say, May. Whatever you say."

* * *

"Slakoth, Yawn attack now!" Norman commanded.

Slaking, a pink hunk of blob who laid on its side every waking and sleeping moment of its life, gave out a tiresome yawn as if it were bored with the battle. It caused a strange chain reaction from both leader and challenger to Kadabra himself.

"Kadaaahbra ..." Brendan said groggily, covering his mouth as he yawned. "Use Confusion!"

Kadabra, his spoons at ready, released a bright purple light that took over Slakoth's body. Slakoth stood up unwilling and began to tap dance across the wooden floor before being thrown back into the wall, cracking the plaster. It landed on a bench, causing it to snap in two.

"Are you alright, Slakoth?" Norman asked worriedly.

Slakoth didn't respond because it was busy counting its fingers.

"Slakoth's characteristic is Truant which means that it takes every turn off," Brendan thought out loud. "Now's my chance to do some damage! Kadabra, Psychic!"

Kadabra stayed silent and if Brendan knew better, it looked like drool was coming out of his mouth.

"Use Psychic, Kadabra!" Brendan repeated.

"Maybe you should use your PokéDex and see what's wrong with Kadabra," Norman suggested helpfully.

Brendan flicked open the cover of the data device and pointed it at Kadabra.

"Kadabra is temporarily unable to battle because either Hypnosis, Sleep Powder, Yawn or any other attack that puts a Pokemon to sleep has taken affect. Kadabra will be awaken in two to five turns," the PokéDex informed.

"Damn!" Brendan cussed.

"Go, Slakoth! Slash now!" Norman ordered.

Slakoth got up lazily to its feet and walked over slowly in steady yet small baby steps. When it reached the sleeping Kadabra, whose head was lolling on his shoulder, he raised up one sharp claw and brought it down sharply upon Kadabra's face. Needless to say that Kadabra was immediately awoken by that but it didn't matter seeing as he fainted a few seconds later.

"Kadabra is unable to battle!" Bryan stated triumphantly. "Slakoth wins!"

* * *

May and Flare walked over calmly to the flag pole with May carefully clutching the pair of boxers in one hand. The reached the pole in the matter of moments, and the two both stared straight to the top where a metal clamp hit the metal pole every now and then because of the wind.

"Are you sure about this?" Flare asked. "It is kind of mean after all."

"He's the one who put his dirty undergarments in my bag! He practically rubbed the idea in my face," May argued. "Good thing he didn't actually rub the boxers in my face. So how do we get that metal clamp thing down anyway? Pull the string?"

"Of course not!" Flare laughed. "All things can be solved with fire!" And with that, Flare blew a jet of orange- reddish flames at the pole. The flames licked the clamp but caused the string to go up in flames.

May watched in horror as the flames raced down the pole and onto the dry, brown grass.

Flare quickly stomped it out and glanced at May, fear rising to her throat. Her trainer was nice and all, but when she got mad ... A slight "ching!" was heard, and Flare caught something in her claw. "Look, May!" she exclaimed. "I got the clamp down!"

"Flare ..."

* * *

"Kadabra, return!" Brendan recalled his Pokémon. "You did a great job!" He switched Pokéballs and gazed at the screen. Kadabra's picture faded but there were two empty spaces below it. "Let's see," Brendan pondered. "Maybe Muddy can do the job. Let's go, Muddy!" He released the Pokéball he held in his hand.

Muddy appeared in a burst of white light, a determine smirk etched on his face instead of his goofy looking one.

"Muddy, Muddy Water now!" Brendan commanded.

Muddy concentrated, a rare moment in this Swampert's young life, shaking the building, causing the ground to crack behind him. Dirty water shot out from the ground like a small geyser before interrupting into a huge wave. Muddy brought the wave of dirty brown water over his head. He jumped onto it and surfed at the last moment and then jumped off, causing the murky tidal wave to come crashing down on the Lazy Pokémon.

It was hard to tell whether or not Slakoth fainted seeing as its eyes were closed and it was not moving, but after a few minutes, Bryan declared it unable to battle.

"Slaking, return!" Norman returned his Pokémon as Slakoth's picture faded off the screen. "Not bad, Brendan," he observed, "but let's see how you do against my next Pokémon! Go Vigoroth!"

* * *

"Tai!" May released her flying type. "Take this clamp that Flare 'accidentally' broke off and then hook it through that loop thing up there!" she said, pointing to the metal loop hole. She handed the clamp the Tai. "It smells like burnt rubber up there so don't breathe in too much!" She glared at Flare for a minute before turning her attention back to Tai.

"It was an _accident _like you said, okay?" Flare protested. "I didn't mean to catch the string on fire!"

May watched a trainer's Totodile shoot a jet of water at the pole for safe measure. "Right, Flare, right."

* * *

"Vigoroth, start things off with Slash now!" Norman instructed.

Vigoroth, a hyperactive monkey type Pokémon unlike its two other evolutions, was quick and agile, giving Brendan very little chance to observe it. He had a crazy, wild look on his face, and his long arms were outstretched, showing off his sharp, black claws. His white fur blew behind him as he dashed toward Muddy in a flash and slashed at his stomach. Muddy cursed in Pokémon language and bit his tongue, causing more pain to course through his body.

"Muddy, Mud Shot!" Brendan ordered, hoping to lower the Vigoroth's speed.

Muddy inhaled deeply and shot out a jet of sticky, wet mud that stuck to Vigoroth's white fur. Vigoroth stomped in fury and tried to get the mud off but to no avail.

"Vigoroth, Focus Punch!" Norman directed.

Vigoroth kept his cool and began to concentrate, a powerful energy aura surrounding him.

"Better finish this fast. Focus Punch is a hell of an attack," Brendan muttered. "Muddy, Take Down now!"

Muddy rushed toward Vigoroth on two feet and slammed his body into the Norman's Pokémon. Vigoroth fell down with Muddy on top of him, breaking his concentration and causing Muddy to lose some energy of his own.

"Vigoroth, Facade now!"

* * *

May used the somewhat charcoal string and lowered the metal clamp. She hooked the boxers on them and raised them back up. "Aren't they beautiful, Tai?" she joked.

Tai cocked his head, confused. "What's so pretty about them?"

* * *

Vigoroth was panting with exhaustion. Sweat rolled off of its forehead and onto its nose. It rammed Muddy with a full forced body slam attack that caused Muddy to stumble back a few feet and fall on his tail.

"Facade," Brendan remembered. "May said that it was super powerful when a Pokémon was paralyzed, poisoned, or burned! She never said it was this powerful when it wasn't either!" He paused. "Damn, I need to expand my vocabulary. Muddy, finish Vigoroth off with Water Gun now!"

Muddy shot out a jet of icy cold water, causing Vigoroth to skid across the polished floor. Now it was a staring contest. Who could stand up the longest? Both Pokémon were panting heavily, both were tired, but both didn't want to faint. Vigoroth, in the end, fainted, x's in its eyes.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle!" Bryan announced. "Brendan's Swampert is the winner!"

Vigoroth's picture faded off the screen as Norman recalled his Pokémon and thanked it for its hard battling.

"Well, it looks like I'm down to one Pokémon," Norman declared, looking at the enlarged Pokéball he picked out. "Let's see how you do against it! I choose you, Slaking!"

"Slaking huh?" Brendan murmured as Slaking took form, examining its appearance. It was huge to say at least, looking nothing more than roll upon roll of fat. Stubby arms and legs poked out against his chubby belly. It looked tired and apathetic, but Brendan knew the thing could pack a powerful punch – if it wanted to anyway. "All the better, the harder the battle, the more better it is! Muddy, start things off with Muddy Water now!"

"Counter with Yawn, Slaking!" Norman retaliated.

Muddy summoned another muddy wave of water and rode on it, crashing it over Slaking's head. The heavy Pokémon didn't seem fazed by it but only yawned, causing Muddy to yawn also.

Slaking wasn't able to attack this turn because of Truant so Brendan took this to his advantage. "Muddy, before the Yawn kicks in! Iron Tail!" he ordered.

Muddy yawned again and flicked his tail up like before, causing his tail to glow with steely, silver power. He brought it down heavily upon Slaking's side. If Brendan looked closely enough, he would have seen a wince coming from Slaking's face. Muddy fell to the ground and curled up in a ball, the yawn effect kicking in.

"Slaking, Focus Punch!"

_Crap!_ Brendan thought. _With Muddy asleep, we can't make Slaking lose focus!_

"Now, Slaking!" Norman ordered. "Show them your stuff!"

Slaking, a bright red aura surrounding him, quickly got on his feet with a sudden burst of energy and punched Muddy skyward. Muddy crashed into the ceiling and he awoke up, startled. He fell back to the floor, causing part of the roof to come down with him.

Brendan winced at the sound Muddy made when he fell. It was a mix between a bone cracking and a bowling ball dropping on tile. "Are you okay, Muddy?" he asked worriedly.

Muddy got up groggily and nodded slowly, a feign smile on his face to assure his trainer he was fine. He got in a battle stance and glared daggers at the opponent who only yawned in return.

"Let's go, Muddy! Muddy Water again!" Brendan commanded.

Muddy jumped up in the air using his sore muscles and summoned his third dirty tidal wave, bring it down over Slaking's head. Slaking was drenched from head to foot and looked more worn out than tired.

"Slaking, Rest now!"

"What?" Brendan exclaimed in anguish.

Slaking closed his eyes and began to drift off towards slumber land.

"Dammit!" Brendan cursed.

Muddy panted tiredly and fell forward, too weak to battle any further.

"Brendan's Swampert is unable to battle!" Bryan stated.

"Muddy, return!" Brendan recalled his Pokémon and smiled. "You did a great job, pal! You deserve a nice, long rest." Brendan began to think. What Pokémon would be able to defeat Slaking and be able to withstand a Focus Punch just in case? Not Sapphire since she couldn't move out of water that much. Sirius? Nah, fighting moves are good against the dark. Ninjask would have to do then.

"I choose you, Ninjask!" Brendan chose his final Pokémon. Ninjask appeared in a flash of white and he buzzed, flapping his wings hurriedly. "Ninjask, Fury Cutter!" he instructed.

Ninjask rose one of its left claws and slashed at Slaking's face. The attack was weak so far so it wasn't able to wake up the Lazy Pokémon just yet.

Ninjask glowed a light blue color and Brendan could tell that its Speed Booster was in effect. "Ninjask, try a Screech!" he ordered. Might as well work on lowering its defense while it's sleeping.

Ninjask hovered a few yards away from Slaking and beat its wings furiously, causing a high pitched sound wave to come out from them. It rebounded throughout the room, loud enough to wake up the dead. Slaking, not being one of the dead, continue to sleep for another turn.

"Now use Fury Cutter again!" Brendan commanded.

Ninjask raised his right claw this time and slashed at Slaking's stomach, a little more effective than usual. Slaking woke up slowly and blinked twice, staring at his new opponent.

"Slaking, Focus Punch!" Norman commanded.

"Ninjask, Double Team!"

Slaking focused his energy into one mighty punch while Ninjask began to make duplicates of itself.

"Now, Slaking! Focus Punch!"

"Dodge it! Agility!"

Slaking threw a vigorous punch toward one of the Ninjask copies but they all flew upward in the nick of time.

"Now, Ninjask! Slash attack!" Brendan cut the air with his arm.

Ninjask returned all the duplicates to his body and slashed repeatedly at Slaking. Slaking, who was standing before, fell back to its side and began to count its toes this time.

Norman had to skip his turn because of Truant once again.

"Ninjask, Slash again!"

"Slaking, Rest!" Norman countered.

"Not this time! Counter Rest with Screech!"

The severe sound waves kept Slaking wide awake while lowering its defense all the same.

"Now finish Slaking off with another Slash!" Brendan ordered triumphantly.

Ninjask raised both its claws and used a double Slash, causing Slaking to wince in agony before rolling to its other side and blacking out.

"Slaking is unable to battle!" Bryan affirmed. "Brendan is the winner!"

Slaking's picture faded off the screen and Brendan jumped into the air. "Alright, Ninjask! You did it!" he cheered. "You were awesome!"

Ninjask buzzed happily around Brendan's head and landed on top of it for a few minutes before Brendan returned him back to his Pokéball.

"Great job, Brendan Birch," Norman smiled. "I'm proud to present you with the Balance Badge!"

Brendan took the shiny badge out of Norman's hand and smirked. "Alright! I got the Balance Badge!"

Norman couldn't help but smile again. "I hope May doesn't get too mad at you since she wasn't able to get in the gym herself."

"But why would she be mad at me?"

* * *

Brendan ran down the steps as fast as he could as looked for May at the same time. "May!" he screamed. "I got my fifth gym badge! I got my fifth gym badge! I got my fifth-" He froze when he caught up to May and a group of trainers who had their hands over their hearts. "What the hell is that?" He pointed to his pair of Pokéball boxers flying over the city of Petalburg. "Those are my ... how did you ... You have a sick and twisted mind!"

"I wonder what pair of boxers he has on today," a little girl murmured.

"Probably a pair of Masterball ones," another little boy snickered.

"Oh, how embarrassing," a girl around Brendan's age laughed. "But it is kinda cute."

The sound of a camera sounded.

"Blackmail!" Wally took a picture and waved it in the air when it developed.

"Shake it like a Polaroid picture!" a girl giggled.

"Where the heck did you come from?" Brendan asked angrily.

"I used to live here, idiot!" Wally laughed. "But I have to go back to Verdanturf and make copies of this! See ya!" He turned around and dashed back to the outskirts of the city.

Brendan, who was about to follow, sucked in his cheeks and glared at May who smiled innocently at him.

"What?" she asked. "I think your boxers are cute." She backed away slowly, smiling. "Well, I have to go now!" She turned around and ran for her life.

"Maaaaaayyyy!"

* * *

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/12/09**


	28. Petalburg: Surf, Sand, and Angry Water P...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokémon. SURPRISE!

I'm running out of ideas for disclaimers.

Muddy: I got one! Breezy doesn't own Pokémon, but she still tortures them anyway!

-.-

Muddy: What? It's true!

Uh huh. Sorry for the short beginning!

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**Petalburg: Surf, Sand, and Angry Water Pokémon!**

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May skidded to a halt on the sandy beach on the outskirts of Petalburg. She laughed quietly as Brendan followed her but tripped as a little kid ran past him. Smiling a little, she walked over to Brendan, her hand held outward to pick the white-haired trainer up.

"Are you alright?" she asked, trying to stifle her giggling. "That was a nasty fall you got there. Saw you eat some dirt. Mmm, mmm good!" she chuckled slightly. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

"Yeah, yeah," Brendan grumbled, mad that May hung up his boxers for everyone to see. "How did you get my boxers anyway?" he exclaimed as he picked himself up. "That's just sick and twisted! Sad and wrong! Mean and nasty!"

"Well you're the one that put your little undies in my bag," May huffed. "You were practically screaming, 'Put my boxers on the flagpole because I was stupid and put my dirty boxers in May's bag because I wanted to be funny!' So ha! You lose, I win!"

Brendan rolled his eyes and frowned. "So now what do we do? The gym is closed for one week because you dad is going back home, and we can't leave this area until _you _get your own stinkin' badge ..." He kicked the sand, causing the dirt to fly up and land into his eyes.

May thought for a few seconds. "We can go swimming!" she chirped cheerfully. "I got a new bathing suit at Lavaridge a few days ago!"

"Too cold," Brendan complained.

"Fine," May replied. "Then how about we go train or battle against some Pokémon Trainers?"

"Nah," Brendan shook his head. "The Pokémon here wouldn't give my Pokémon much experience." He smiled weakly as a few Taillows, Zigzagoons, and Wurmples jumped out of their homes to glare at Brendan from on top of the cliff. "And we already beat the trainers here. Besides, Muddy, Ninjask, and Kadabra are in the Pokémon Center getting healed." He fell backward, the soft sand cushioning his fall. "Maybe we can just stay here and relax." He sighed happily, putting his hands behind his head. "I'm tired after that long battle with Norman today."

May shook her head at her befallen friend. "Whatever," she stated. "If you're going to stay here, then I'm going to go fishing!" She dug through her bag and pulled out a fishing rod. "Just got this!" She beamed as she sat on the water's edge, throwing the line into the sea.

Brendan sat up and watched May's back, interested if she would find another Pokémon. After a few minutes of waiting, Brendan fell backward again, his snow white hair turning a dirty light brown from the sand. "This is boring," he grumbled, his arms and legs spread wide as if he were trying to make sand angels. "Boring, boring, boring, boring, bor-"

"No one's making you stay, you know!" May retaliated sharply, her dark blue eyes glaring at Brendan's body. A slight tug on her line caught her attention. "Alright! A Pokémon!" she cheered in delight.

"Finally!" Brendan pushed himself up and walked over to May's side who was struggling on reeling on the hooked Pokémon.

"Must be a ... big ... Poké ... mon!" May said, her teeth grinding as she dug her heals into the ground. "Sand ... doesn't ... really ... hold you ... down ... huh?"

Brendan shook his head. "Try standing up, Yam."

"Oh yeah! That's smart!" May smiled in delight and stood up, her grip on her fishing pole tightening. She used all her might to pull in the caught Pokémon. "I think I almost ..." She gave the line a final tug. "Got it!" she yelled as the hooked Pokémon emerged from under the sea.

"Tenta!" a Tentacruel appeared, May's line wrapped around one of its many tentacles. His beady, black eyes glared from underneath his jelly-like head.

"Uh oh!" May's eyes widened with fear. "It looks angry."

Brendan slapped his forehead, "No really, May?" he said sarcastically. "Go battle it!"

"Right!" May said confidently. "I choose you, Ta-" May was interrupted as the Tentacruel unleashed some black, sticky ink onto her face. "Ew!" She dropped Tai's Pokéball into the sand and collapsed on her knees, loosening her grip on her fishing pole, setting the Tentacruel free. "Gross!"

Brendan coughed slightly to stifle his laughter as he watched the angry jellyfish speed away. He then glanced downward toward May and laughed ... hard. He crumpled down back onto the sand and laughed uncontrollably, his face slowly turning red from so much laughter. Tears started forming in his eyes. "That was so funny!" he managed to get out between chuckles. "Woo." He calmed down and sat back up only to laugh again as May tried wiping the ink off her face with a towel.

"It's not funny!" May shouted as she tried to wipe off the rest of the ink off her face but failed. Picking up Tai's Pokéball and clipping it back on her belt, she began folding up her fishing rod and shoving it into her bag. She stomped up the beachy shores and back onto solid concrete into Petalburg, most likely to wash up.

Brendan, meanwhile, finished the last of his laughter, wiping away a tear that managed to escape from his cheek. He stood up and followed May back into the city from a far distance. He knew this wasn't a right time to talk to her from the long history of pissing her off from the first time they battled to, well, now. Entering the bright, cheery city, he noticed that the rookie trainers have stopped laughing at his high flying boxers on the pole and at the closing doors at the Pokémon Center.

"May must have entered," Brendan murmured. "Now's my chance to take down those boxers!" He quietly crept over to the pole and pulled down on the string, causing the boxers to lower down. Oddly, the string left his hands black and made them smell like charcoal as he retrieved his boxers from the metal clamp.

"So those are your boxers, huh?" a voice from behind him chuckled for a second before stopping.

Brendan whirled around and saw Wally's mother cover her hand with her mouth to refrain from giggling again. "Pleasure to see you again, Brendan."

"You too, Mrs. Wood." Brendan smiled out of politeness. "Yeah, these are my boxers." He shoved them in his backpack and flushed a bit from embarrassment. "May thought she would be funny and hang them up there when I was battling Norman a hour ago."

"I remember May." Mrs. Wood laughed again, her eyes twinkling. "My little Wally-kins came by a few moments before and told me all about her. I believe he has a little crush on her."

"Oh, you're not the only one that noticed!" Brendan forced out a laugh and plastered a fake smile on his face.

Mrs. Wood grinned. "I'm sure you'll get May first, Brendan. After all, you do travel with her."

Brendan just gaped at her. "I ... I don't like ... What?"

Mrs. Wood shook her head. "Never mind, dear."

"So what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Oh, I was just waving off my little Wally off. He left a few minutes ago. I'm so proud of him. He's not even sick anymore! I believe his Pokémon helped him get stronger throughout his journey." Mrs. Wood wiped away a tear. "But I still worry about him though." She sighed and glanced at the exit of Petalburg. "Anyway, my husband would like to see you."

"Huh?" Brendan asked, clueless.

"Didn't Norman tell you to visit us, dear?"

"Probably." Brendan shrugged. "I was too excited in getting my badge that I didn't really listen to Norman's after speech. I think I did hear him say something about going to Wally's house."

"Well then, come on!" Mrs. Wood said cheerfully as she led Brendan down the dirt path back down to her house. She opened the door and pushed Brendan inside lightly with her hand before closing the door.

Brendan saw Mr. Wood lounging on a couch, reading The Pokémag, a famous Pokémon magazine, taking a sip of his drink every now and then.

"Hun, Brendan Birch is here!" Mrs. Wood said, alarming Mr. Wood, causing his drink to spill over his shirt.

"Oops." Mr. Wood, tried to soak up the drink with some napkins but shrugged it off when most of it didn't come off. Throwing the wet napkins into a trash can, he went over to Brendan and shook his hand. "Brendan, my boy! Good to see you again!"

"Ditto." Brendan smiled, wondering if he ever met Mr. Wood before. He took back his hand. "Mrs. Wood and Norman said you wanted to see me?"

"Oh yeah!" Mr. Wood dug through his pants' pocket and pulled out a metal blue box the size of a Pokéblock. "This is the HM, Surf!" Mr. Wood stated proudly as he handed it to Brendan. "My favorite HM move. I help create HMs and TMs in the Hoenn Area, you know."

"That's awesome!" Brendan smiled. "Thanks for the Surf HM! I'm going to teach it to my Swampert later!"

"This is a thank you for helping Wally catch his Ralts – well, now it's a Kirlia. Sorry for taking a long time to find something to thank you with. Please, let May borrow that HM too if she gets a Water Pokémon."

"Don't worry, I will." Brendan pocketed the HM. "And you didn't have to give me anything to thank me, sir."

"No problem. We have plenty of Surf HMs." Mrs. Wood smiled happily. "Anyway, where are you headed from here?"

"Well after May gets her next badge from her dad, I guess we're going to head towards Mauville and surf towards Fortree and the other cities over there," Brendan replied. "Well, I have to find May, so bye Mr. and Mrs. Wood!" He walked over to the door and opened it. "Thanks again!"

"Bye, Brendan!" the two chorused in unison.

Brendan slowly shut the door behind him and saw May sitting at one of Petalburg's ponds, fishing. "Fishing in fresh water this time, May?" he laughed. "There no Tentacruels here!"

"That's why I'm fishing here! No need to worry about Tentacruels and their acid attacks!" May said cheerfully, her spirits raised from twenty minutes of washing her face. "I wonder what are in these ponds anyway." Her question was soon answered as she felt a tug on her line. "Alright! A Pokémon!" she cried happily as she began to reel in the Pokémon. The hooked Pokémon was easier to pull up than the angry Tentacruel, and soon, a Magikarp emerged, flopping about.

"Haha! A Magikarp!" Brendan laughed, his hands resting on his knees as he bent over, chuckling. "How sad! A pathetic Pokémon for a pathetic trainer! Perfect mat-" Brendan's mocking was interrupted when the Magikarp released May's hook, its gaping mouth swallowing the top of Brendan's head. Brendan froze for a minute before running around in circles like a crazed Poochyena. "Ah! Get it off, get it off!" he shouted, running around May, getting her dizzy.

"Hold still then!" May giggled slightly at the sight. "Love the new hat, Brendan," she joked.

"No time to be funny!" Brendan yelled. "Get it off!" He stopped running in circles and reached up with his two hands to pry the Magikarp off. He successfully pulled the Pokémon off and threw it back into the pond. "Good riddance!" he huffed.

"Hey! That was my Pokémon!" May cried.

The Magikarp plunged face first into the water and went under the somewhat shallow waters. A few seconds passed and a white light blasted from the pond.

"What was that?" Brendan questioned, shielding his eyes with an arm.

"Something not good, I bet," May retorted as she blinked twice, trying to rid her vision of the annoying, multicolored circles that obscured her eyesight.

A gigantic wave of water appeared, almost submerging Brendan and May in it. There stood a seething Gyarados, taking up more than three-quarters of the pond water with him, his scales a deeper shade of blue than usual. It glared coldly at Brendan who backed away slowly.

"Cool!" May cried in delight. "I can catch a totally awesome Gyarados!"

"Good Gyarados," Brendan said softly, backing into a wall. "Good boy."

"Gyraaa!" The Gyarados roared in anger and began to tackle downward toward Brendan.

"T.B., use your Thunderbolt attack!" May immediately released her Pokémon from its Pokéball.

In a flash of red light, Thunderbolt appeared and instantly unleashed powerful, tiny shocks of electricity toward the enraged Gyarados. The attack caught Gyarados's attention, and he turned around, ignoring the quivering Brendan. Gyarados's face twisted into a look of hate and rage as he tackled below toward Thunderbolt. The Discharge Pokémon growled as he flew backward back into the wall where Brendan was currently standing.

"Thunderbolt!" May cried, worried.

"He's all right, May!" Brendan shouted as Thunderbolt skidded down the wall back onto all fours.

"Thunderbolt, Howl and then Spark!" May commanded.

Thunderbolt howled toward the sun as if he were a wolf to the moon and charged toward the Gyarados, sparks generating from its body. He rammed his body into Gyarados's, causing tiny sparks to go up and down the huge serpent's body.

The Atrocious Pokémon thundered furiously and unleashed a strong jet of water. Thunderbolt took the hit back on and rammed back into the wall, leaving a dent in it and causing some plaster to chip off.

"Hang in there, Thunderbolt, and use Spark again!"

Thunderbolt nodded and sprinted towards the water/flying type. His body charged with electricity again, and he tackled toward the Gyarados, who quickly dodged. The Discharge Pokémon missed and landed in the now shallow pond, causing the water and Gyarados to go up in electric power. Gyarados winced in pain as his body paralyzed.

"Now's your chance, May!" Brendan shouted. "Catch him!"

"Right!" May nodded, a determined smirk on her face. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out an empty Pokéball. "Go, Pokéball!" she shouted as she released the Pokéball from her grasp. The Pokéball engulfed Gyarados in its grasp, turning the Atrocious Pokémon into a red beam of light. The Pokéball landed in the shallow pond , and the ball shook as Gyarados tried to escape. The familiar "ding!" was heard, telling May that Gyarados gave up and that she caught a new Pokémon

"Alright!" May cheered as she jumped into the muddy bottom of the pond to retrieve her newly caught Pokémon. "I caught a Gyarados!" she said, elated. "Good job, Thunderbolt!" she smiled at her Pokemon as she returned him.

"So, what are you going to name your new Pokémon?" Brendan asked as he jumped into the pond too, landing into a puddle. "Wow, that Gyarados took out a lot of water." He observed the city and saw that most of the ground was wet along with some building walls.

"I think I'll name him Hydro," May thought out loud, "because Hydro Pump is my favorite water type move!" She shrunk down Hydro's Pokéball and placed it on her belt. "Well, I think I have the best team in the world!"

"Uh huh." Brendan shook his head but grinned all the same. "Well I think we better fix this hole in the ground and make it a pond again." He ran into the Pokémon Center and quickly retrieved his injured Pokémon's Pokéballs. He then released Muddy and commanded him to use Water Gun to refill the pond. Sitting on the ground, watching Muddy fill the pool, he watched May shine Hydro's Pokéball. "Having fun?" he asked.

"Yup!" May nodded happily, her eyes shining with excitement. "I can't wait to use my Gyarados!"

Then there was silence for a few minutes. . .

Brendan shrugged and stood back up, May following suit. "You know, when you said, 'I can't wait to use my Gyarados,' I expected a trainer to come up and challenge you."

"I'm sorry," a voice giggled from behind the trainers. "I didn't know I was suppose to be here at a specific time!"

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Since Brendan's dad is the Professor, May's dad is a gym leader, I decided to give Wally's dad a cool job too. A TM/HM maker. I'll think of an official name later haha.

Flare: Right.

Muddy: Breezy's been sitting on her butt for 6 straight hours!

Yup! My butt hurts though.

Flare: That's good to know.

Isn't it?

Muddy: I went to the store and got some real facts!

Flare: Huh?

Muddy: Like, the biggest ball of twine in America weighs 17,000 lbs!

Flare: Wow

Muddy: And the letter "Q" isn't used in any of the states of the United States!

Flare: Interesting. Done yet?

Muddy: Actually I am, yeah.

You're fun.

Muddy: Are you being sarcastic?

Yeah.

Muddy: Are you being sarcastic now?

No.

Muddy: Kay.

Kay then

Muddy: Kay then.

Okay then.

Muddy: STOP YELLING AT ME! SHEESH! I'M GOING BACK TO MY TRAILER! (stomps off)

Flare: That's a bathroom, Muddy!

Muddy: (peeks out of the door) Hey, a trailer is a trailer! (slams door shut)

Flare: Whatever.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/12/09**


	29. Shot Down by Cupid's Arrow

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Pokémon.

A/N: Side-track chapter. Pokémon based really. It's in honor of my most hated holiday, Valentine's day. Woot!

Warning: Love stories -.- Well, kind of. I mean, no one REALLY gets together and does mushy stuff. But still. Be warned.

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**Shot Down By Cupid's Arrow**

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February 14th. February 14th. Valentine's Day. A most dreaded day in my opinion but hey! I'm just the narrator in this story! But anyway, Valentine's Day brings love, joy, happiness, to everyone – everyone being the lucky ones that have a bloody valentine that is – big and small, short and tall, stupid and smart, and so on.

Speaking of Muddy – k, so I didn't mention Muddy before – this was the day he was going to do it! Okay, so that sounded wrong, sue me for it.

But moving on, '' thought of this time of the year as the perfect opportunity to set up Brendan and May along with some other Pokémon couples. But how?

Muddy heard about the human holiday mascot for Valentine's day. Cupid was it? That Greek god or something. Or was it Roman? Could have been Egyptian. Then again Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Venus same thing 'cept it's the Roman goddess. Now that I think about it, Cupid was Aphrodite's son.

"Who the heck cares anyway?" Muddy shrugged it off.

Maybe Bemired-

"Oh, you did _not_ just call me Bemired!" Muddy glared into space.

"Who are you talking to, Muddy?" Flare asked curiously.

Muddy grinned. "Myself, proud of it too!"

Fine, maybe Muddy-

"That's my name, use it!"

... could be this 'Cupid' guy.

"Is he the guy that wears a diaper with that hat on his head?"

That's Baby New Year, Bemired.

"I said don't call me that!"

As I was saying, maybe Muddy could play this Cupid fool – I mean, person. He had plenty of ideas roaming in his empty head. Blame it on Brendan, I don't know.

"They do say Pokémon takes after trainer."

Yeah, but you would be kind of stupid, like Sirius. You, on the other hand, whacked your head against the wall one too many times therefore making you stupider than you should be. Ah, I mean, the stupidest of the smartest geniuses.

"Yeah, damn right. I'm not just stupid anymore."

Yeah, whatever. Like I was saying, Muddy could play this Cupid guy-

"You've been repeating the same thing three million times!"

Nuh uh! It's only been three! There's a big difference. Now, as I was saying Muddy had big plans. BIG PLANS! I'm talking HUGE! GIGANTIC! VAST! MASSIVE! ENOR-

"I think they get the idea Breezy girl ... person ... lady ... thing."

Right, sorry. Yes, Bemired had big plans-

"NO MORE BEMIRED!"

Sheesh, fine. He was going to get everyone – everyone that had a crush on someone that is – together! From the humans, to the Pokémon themselves 'cause if he couldn't find a valentine, at least he could find one for someone else!

"Aw, I'm so generous. "

Remember this is only a side-track chapter. This doesn't really effect the main chapters, and you'll still be a jerk regardless.

"Dammit!"

_But who to get together?_ the young Swampert thought.

"Ooh, are you a physicist?"

A psychic, Muddy?

"Yeah that!"

Anyway, Muddy began to think – an interesting task for this Swampert – about who to get together. Well, Cherry and Ninjask would be good. Thunderbolt likes Skittles, but Skittles like Sirius while Sirius likes cookies. Flare and her uprising fame has attracted some male Blazikens surprisingly to Muddy.

"Yeah, I believe that those Blazikens have been cast under an Attract attack and saw Flare on the T.V."

There was also Tai. Tai like ... something. Kadabra didn't seem to go with anyone either.

"No one seems to be smart enough for Kadabra."

Ah, so let us remember the first love problem Muddy has encounter, shall we? This love problem was like a love triangle 'cept you know, one point liked the other point and that point liked the other point and that point liked something not even in that point. Guess who it is!

"Who? That entire fiasco a month ago where some guy liked you but you liked someone else and the guy that liked you went all ... woo?"

I said shut up about that entire thing, BEMIRED!

"HAHA, LOSER!"

Oh, go look in a mirror and fall in love with yourself, Muddy.

"I tried, but it didn't work."

Like I was saying before I was interrupted by a foul mouth creature, here comes the first love problem that Muddy had to deal with: The entire Thunderbolt/Skittles/Sirius love triangle! Let us go back to that day shall we?

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Skittles was busy licking her paw in front of the river's edge, looking at her reflection. If she were the opposite gender, her Cute Charm would of worked on herself. Yet . . .

Skittles looked up toward the opposite side of the river where a Mightyena named Sirius slept peacefully, his head resting on his front paws, his tail wagging as if he were running happily in a dream.

"Stupid dog," she muttered to herself yet she still stared at the dog.

Sirius's left ear twitched slightly as he blinked twice, awakening from his mid-day nap. He yawned and got back up on all fours. His eyes landed on Skittles who froze on the spot. He eyed her wearily as if he knew that she'd been staring at him all day before giving her a sly grin, trotting off to Brendan, his master, for some food no doubt.

Skittles took off her Cute Charm affect and scrunched up her nose. Failed again. But why?

"Does he have Oblivious or something for a characteristic?" Skittles mewed angrily to herself. "I use Cute Charm around him all the time and it never works! Never!"

Meanwhile, from behind the angry feline, the Discharge Pokémon peeked at her from inside a bush. Yes, it was Thunderbolt, May's stubborn but calm and collected Manectric. Yet he never seemed to be calm and cool around Skittles, his love.

"Please tell me that Cute Charm always affects me," Thunderbolt pleaded to himself. "Maybe my Lightning Rod effect takes in the Cute Charm effect easily too."

"Guess what, Thunderbolt! I think you have problems!" a voice said dully from behind him.

Thunderbolt jumped up a few feet in the air, almost catching Skittles's attention. "Sapphire!" he moaned. "How the hell did you get here? There is no water in this bush!"

"I can do wonders with Water Gun you know," Sapphire replied dully again. "Spying on Skittles _again,_ T.B.? Give it up for your sake and mine! It scares me."

"This is none of your business!" Thunderbolt replied sharply, turning his head back to Skittles. "Don't you have like some Water Pokémon in that river to woo over?"

"No," Sapphire said slowly to her best friend. "But it scares me how much this little 'infatuation' has gotten to you, pal."

"Oh shove your beacon in your mouth!" T.B retorted. "Maybe it'll make you shut up."

"I doubt it," Sapphire said sardonically. "I talk a lot."

"How much I know," T.B replied, poking his head through the bush. "Now excuse me, I have some spying to do."

"Stalking," Sapphire remarked.

"No, spying."

"There is no difference for you." Sapphire flashed her beacon a few times. "Listen, you know that Skittles likes Sirius, right?"

"Feh. I bet it's just a phase."

"A pretty long one, T.B. She probably has liked that doggy Pokémon ever since he was a puppy Poochyena and she was a Skitty! You've liked her since-"

"-That fair day when we were spying on Brendan and May," Thunderbolt replied tiredly. "I remember that day clearly. We were paired up to spy on Brendan and May."

"How pathetic!" Sapphire rolled her eyes. "You remember the day you started to 'like' her for Latios's sake! Obsessed, my friend, obsessed."

"Oh, bugger off!"

"Fine, I will! I'll leave you to your stalking – sorry, 'spying.'" Sapphire shook her head and Water Gunned Thunderbolt to push herself out of the bush. Unfortunately for T.B, the Water Gun attack pushed him out of the bush and onto Skittles.

Thunderbolt gulped nervously. "Um ... Hi, Skittles!"

"Ouch! Oh! Hey, T.B!" Skittles mewed cheerfully. "Do you mind if you get off me?"

Thunderbolt laughed nervously. "Eh heh, right!" He rolled off Skittles and back onto his feet. "So, uh, how's life?" he said weakly to stir up a conversation. "Good I hope."

"Oh, yeah, it is," Skittles said absentmindedly as she watched Sirius run along the banks of the river, catching a ball in his mouth that Brendan threw. "Excuse me a minute." Skittles walked away, walking across the bridge that connected the two sides.

Thunderbolt sighed in defeat and laid down, his head resting on his forepaws.

For the time being, sat up in a tree, taking notes carefully, examining Sirius, Skittles, and Thunderbolt. "Hmm ..." he muttered to himself. "When did I learn how to write and read?" A slight cracking from underneath him caught his attention. "Uh oh." He frowned as the tree branch broke off, causing him to land hard of the forest floor. "Ow!" Groggily, he looked up, noticing Flare standing in front of him.

"Bemired Muddy Murky '' Swampert! What do you think you're doing?" Flare inquired, her two claws up in red and orange flames.

Muddy smiled innocently. "Nothing that concerns you, Flarember 'Flare' Blair 'SomanyBlazikensafterme' Blaziken!" he shot back using Flare's real name. "Just studying."

"I'm hoping for battles," Flare murmured. "Your last few battles sucked hard! Your form was off by a fraction and your Muddy Water attack could have been summoned faster than four seconds!"

"Whatever, you obsessed training chicken." Muddy rolled his eyes. "Actually I'm looking at Sirius, Skittles, and Thunderbolt. They seem to be in a love triangle. Want to help?"

"No thanks!" Flare answered as she began using her Fire Punch on a rather large boulder to train. "I'm training right now, and Latias only knows how many love problems I'm in right now." She sighed and punched the rock harder, cracking it in half under the pressure. "Latias only knows ..."

"You're so weird, Flare." Muddy shook his head as Flare began training on another rock. "Weird and strange." He walked out of the forest and into the clearing, crossed the bridge and over to camp.

"Muddy! Good of you to come!" Brendan exclaimed rather happily as he gave Muddy some Pokéfood.

Muddy gulped it down rather quickly as Sirius came back over to where Brendan and May were stationed.

"Good boy, Sirius." Brendan patted his Pokémon's head as Sirius placed the ball into Brendan's head. The Bite Pokémon then laid back down this time at the base of the tree.

"Sirius! Wait up!" Skittles mewed, worn down by trying to catch up with the agile Mightyena. "You run too fast, Sirius Orion Mightyena!"

"Dude, why is everyone using our full names?" Sirius asked curiously, rolling the light green tennis ball with his right forepaw, amused. "So, what up, Skittles?" the hyena Pokémon asked, flipping the ball up and catching it in his mouth. "Mwen e fwing wan mmr mwwy?"

Skittles understood every word despite the overly large tennis ball lodge in Sirius's mouth. She glanced into Sirius's dark red eyes that glowed as he grew angry, causing her to melt onto the floor strangely. His tail twitched as he stared back at Skittles, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Ohhhhkay," Sirius said slowly, tossing the tennis ball up and down. "You're weird, Skittles." And with that he released the tennis ball from his clenched mouth and jumped into the river to go swimming. "If you want to talk to me," he yelled toward Skittles as he swam in the slow moving river, "you're going to have to get in the water first!"

_Hmph, I may like Sirius, but I'm not that crazy!_ Skittles thought to herself. _Am I?_

"Hour one," Muddy mumbled to himself as he wrote on a notepad. "Subject seems to have a thing for codename Dog Boy. Subject seems to be mumbling about water and swimming with Dog Boy to herself. thinks that the Subject is crazy."

Unknown to Muddy, Flare hopped out of a tree and behind the Swampert. Taking in a deep inhale of breath, she yelled, "Boo!"

The water and ground type sprung up a few feet, landing on his two bottom with a thud. He turned around and glared coldly at Flare who only smirked in return. "What was that for?" he asked angrily, fiddling with his notebook and charred black stick he used to write with. "I'm writing something important and you have to go and bug me!"

Flare reached out and grabbed the notebook out of Muddy's paw, flipping through the pages. "Muddy," she started, "these are just drawings of how to take over the world!" She shoved the notepad back into Muddy's chest. "And I seriously doubt that drowning the world so only water Pokémon could live can work."

"It's possible!" Muddy retorted, throwing the notebook and writing utensil behind his shoulder.

Flare groaned and slapped where her forehead should be. "Muddy," she started. "Muddy, Muddy, Muddy, Muddy, Muddy."

"Flare," Muddy smirked, "What, what, what, what, what?"

"Must you make fun of that?"

"Must you ask?"

Flare slapped her forehead again. "Just forget about it," she sighed. "You're not planning on getting Skittles and Sirius or Skittles and Thunderbolt together are you? Because one will get hurt or one will be unhappy and the other will be completely clueless."

"What?" Muddy asked as he retrieved his notepad and charred stick from the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I suppose to be paying attention?"

"Ugh."

"Just kidding, sheesh." Muddy began drawing on his notepad again. "Anyway, yes I am. But who to get together? Skittles and Sirius or Skittles and Thunderbolt?"

"I'm not getting into this!" Flare protested as she jumped back up into a tree. "I'm not getting _my_ friends mad at me for doing something _stupid_ to them. Besides, I'm in training, remember? We're going to Fortree City soon; it's only a day or two away. I hear that their gym specializes in flying types, so I'm training so that they don't kick my butt!"

"But as for me," Muddy started, "I don't need to train because I'm not part fighting so therefore, I'm getting Pokémon together! I'm playing Kool-aid!"

"Cupid, Muddy," Flare corrected him as she climbed up onto another tree branch. "Read your mythology better. He's Aphrodite's son in Greek mythology. Or is the name Cupid from Roman mythology? Whatever, but if that's whatcha wanna do with your free day, fine! As for me, I'm getting stronger. Later!" Flare disappeared into the thickets of tree branches and leaves.

"Subject is approaching Dog Boy who is currently swimming in the stream," Muddy muttered to himself, scribbling in his notebook every now and then.

* * *

_Ooh, that dog makes me so mad sometimes!_ Skittles complained to herself as she slowly approached the water. She watched the Bite Pokémon doggy paddle his was back and forth in the stream. _He does look cuter when his fur in wet though. Ew, I did not just think that, did I? How gross, but it is true. Ack!_ The feline put one dainty paw into the water and shuddered.

"It's cold!" she mewed in annoyance and terror. "You expect me to come in there?"

"Why not?" Sirius joked. "I'm in here, you know." He smirked; it was fun tampering with minds, especially minds that liked him. Despite the fact that Sirius was usually that playful and lovable canine, his dark side sometimes crept out too.

"Well maybe you can come out and the cat doesn't have to go in too," Thunderbolt retaliated angrily as he walked over to Skittles's side. "Not all of us like water. But as for me, I like water. When I jump into a stream, like this one, it shocks _everything_ in it."

"That's great, Thunderhead!" Sirius swam toward Skittles and Thunderbolt. "Jump on in, shock me and the other fifty thousand Magikarps, Goldeens, and Feebas living here. But it's okay! I'm sure you can handle yourself when the Water Pokemon rampage against you!" He laughed, motioning his paw in the air as he climbed back up onto the shore and shook himself dry.

"You think you're hot stuff don't you, Sirius, but you ain't nothing but a waste of Mightyena flesh!" Thunderbolt replied coldly. "Your head is so big I'm surprised that the world hasn't fallen down from the weight! You think you're the most playful and lovable dog in the world but I know better! You're a demon on the inside!"

Sirius rolled his crimson-colored eyes. "Well yeah, most dark Pokemon have an evil, demonic side to them somewhere in them but some don't show it as much. But anyway. How's life, Lightning Bolt-"

"Thunderbolt."

"-Thunderbolt? Peachy I hope?"

"Oh yeah, it's excellent," Thunderbolt snarled. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Yeah, if Skittles leaves." Sirius smirked at her, causing Skittles to blush and obey his orders.

"I don't appreciate what you're doing to Skittles," Thunderbolt snapped as soon as Skittles was out of ear shot. "Making her do things because you tell her too. Like yesterday, telling her to find some bananas ... on a Tropius! Are you crazy?"

"Sometimes," Sirius admitted as he walked out of the water, shaking himself, sending drops of water flying from his fur.

"You're _using_ her because you know that she _likes_ you! She probably thinks that doing all these things that you tell her to do will make you fall in love with her as well!"

Sirius rolled his eyes again. "Oh, you silly, little Thunderhead you, thinking that I'm using Skittles! All that infatuation with her must have gone to your head honestly! Why would I use Skittles? She's my best friend. My best friend has a crush on me. You're just jealous because she doesn't like you anymore, aren't you? That explains the hostility when you're around me now."

Thunderbolt growled from deep inside his throat. "Just because you don't like Skittles like I do doesn't mean you can use her like that!"

"I'm not using her! That's just your mind thinking it! You're picking on me because you're insecure! So ha!"

"Huh?"

"I don't know. I heard May say it once." Sirius shrugged. "But like I said before, I'm not using Skittles. It would be against the Pokémon Code of Honor to use another Pokémon for their benefit, remember?"

"Like anyone actually obeys that code," Thunderbolt remarked, scowling.

"Whatever!" Sirius shook his head and walked past the angry electric type, chuckling a bit. "Using, liking, stalker, obsessed, puh-lease!"

Thunderbolt bit his tongue and focused his anger on the static in his fur. It jolted and crackled, causing the pearly white clouds to let loose a small bolt of lightning. The clouds thundered a bit and the wind blew more violently than usual on a clear, spring day.

"Odd," a voice murmured from the stream. "Clear, spring days usually don't have lightning."

Thunderbolt groaned and rolled onto his back, his paws dangling in the air like a bug rolled on its back. "Sapphire, go away! I'm thinking here!"

"Thinking, eh?" Sapphire laughed as she shot a small jet of water hurtling toward Thunderbolt, making his already electric fur crackle even louder. "That's a first, isn't it? Honestly, T.B. You think too much for your own good. I'm surprise that your head hasn't blown up yet. If what you thought was smart, you could give Kadabra a run for his rare candy."

Thunderbolt was silent. "Do you think I have a chance?" he asked a few moments later.

"Honestly, I hate to be mean, but if you really want to know ... no."

"But-"

"No, Thunderbolt."

"Yeah, but-"

"Nope."

"But-"

"Nope, nada, zero, diddly squat! Find someone else, T.B. You never liked her until she stopped liking you. So what gives?"

"I don't know!" Thunderbolt rolled back onto his feet and glared at the Lanturn. "She messed with my mind is the most easiest explanation I can think of! Before, I was this serious, quiet, determined Pokémon who only lived to fight! And now ... Now I figured out that life is so confusing!"

"The Jolter seems to be complained about life to the Beacon," Muddy muttered to himself as he watched Thunderbolt and Sapphire from afar, scribbling down notes on his notepad every few seconds. "No sign of the Dog Boy or the Subject. reminds himself to think of a better nickname for the Subject. How about-"

"The Idiot?"

"No, that would never fit the Subject," Muddy answered back, not noticing the looming shadow behind him.

"I was talking about you." Flare crossed her arms and shook her head. "Some people and Pokémon don't liked to be spied on."

"Like, for example, what you're doing right now?" Muddy murmured absentmindedly.

"Shut up," Flare retorted weakly. "Okay, Mr. Cupid. It's time to quit now. Spying is bad for your health. Hazardous even. You're messing with destiny, you're playing with fate, you're shooting arrows where you shouldn't! So stop already! What are you planning anyway? Do you even have a plan? Why do I keep rambling on and on about the same thing? Better question, what the heck am I asking you of all Pokémon?"

"Was I suppose to listen then too?" Muddy asked curiously, jolting down another note. "I'm trying to get Skittles and Sirius together. Thunderbolt is alright, but he seems to be more quieter and more boring than Skittles and Sirius. So all in favor of Sirius and Skittles say aye!"

"Aye!" Cherry fluttered down onto Muddy's head.

"Aye!" Hydro, the newest recruit to May's team, popped out of the stream, scaring Thunderbolt and Sapphire.

"Aye!" Tai chirped from a tree branch above Muddy.

"I what?" Ninjask buzzed, landing besides Tai, his wings beating uncontrollably as if Ninjask were on a sugar rush. "I see? I hear? I what?"

"Okay! Five against one, good enough for me!" Muddy smirked as he stomped off toward the clearing where Skittles and Sirius were currently. "Ah ha! There are those two!"

"I what?" Ninjask whined as Cherry and Tai flew away. "What I do? Did I do what? Do what? What the? What the hell? Hell is what? What is hell? Is what what? What do you want? What is that? What the fu-"

"Shut up, Ninjask."

* * *

"Why did you bring me here, Skittles?" Sirius asked curiously as he eyed his surroundings. "Kind of secluded, don't you think? I mean, our trainers might get worried."

Skittles advanced at Sirius, causing the Bite Pokémon to back up into a tree. "Secluded. That's how I wanted it," she purred.

"What?" Sirius closed his eyes and used Faint Attack, vanishing from thin air and reappearing behind the feline Pokémon. "What's wrong with you, Skittles?" he asked half-heartedly, edging closer to camp. "What have you done with my best friend, you demon kitty?"

"But I am your best friend!" Skittles mewed, licking her lips, walking closer to the Bite Pokémon.

"Don't make me use my Roar attack on you!" Sirius stated fiercely, a slight tremble to his voice. "I mean it, Skittles!" He gulped as the cat Pokemon advanced on him again. He took in a small intake of breath before booming a furious, glass-shattering Roar attack, enough to make twenty Pokémon run away in fear. Skittles wasn't one of these twenty Pokémon unfortunately or luckily, depending on the type of person you are.

"Even the loudest of roars couldn't keep me away from you!" Skittles said, her tail swishing left and right.

"Ah, ha." Sirius forced out a laugh. "This is a joke, right? All of you guys wanted to play a prank on me since I play tricks on you. Okay, joke's over! You can come on out now!" He waited a few seconds but found that no one came. No trees rustling, no bushes moving, no nothing. "Aah, well ... The joke's on me! Look! You guys got me! Fun! Now _please_ come on out, please," he pleaded but got no response except for Skittles's breathing.

"This is no joke," Skittles piped up, batting her eyelashes a few times.

Sirius, fed up with Skittles sudden lovey-dovey attitude, growled from deep inside his throat. His eyes turned red. "Now listen to me, Skittles!" he barked. "You better stop this stupid, seductive approach because frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn even if you were my type! So shut up and go back to the old Skittles before I rip you to shreds! Got it?"

Skittles backed away from Sirius and blinked twice as if blinking out of confusion. "Well, _sorry_!" she hissed angrily, marching over to a tree and sitting under its shade. "I thought it was the only way to get your attention!"

Sirius sighed, his glowing, crimson-colored eyes going back to their regular dark red and yellow. He walked over slowly to Skittles and closed his eyes before reopening them. "Now why did you bring me here again?"

Skittles licked her paw in a nervous habit, avoiding eye contact with the canine. "This is stupid," she muttered under her breath, tears beginning to swim in her eyes. "I shouldn't have brought you here. Maybe you should go."

"Yeah, okay. You brought me here to tell me that I should go?" Sirius asked, bewildered. "Just tell me, Skittles. I'm here already! It can't be stupid as you think it is."

"It's not stupid!" Skittles snapped. "It's not at all stupid! It's ..." She sighed in defeat. "Yeah, it's stupid, so you don't need to hear it."

"Just tell me already!"

"I don't like telling things to Pokémon that are rude!"

Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry, Skittles. Now will you please tell me?"

* * *

"Muddy!" Sapphire cried from the a tree. "Kadabra was being mean and teleported me up here all because he said I was being annoying! At least, I think he did. He said it at all in big words! Anyway, get me down from here!"

Muddy looked up and saw the small whale on a high tree branch, sparks shooting out of her beacon. "Hanging around, Sapphire?" he laughed as he began to climb the tree. "Wow, what a lame joke."

"I know! Get me down from here!"

Muddy reached the first tree branch and needed to climb up to more to get to Sapphire. But meanwhile ...

Skittles looked down at the grassy ground, her tail flicking around nervously. "I uh ... I ... uh ... I don't know how to say this, Sirius! It's too hard, and I'm afraid!"

"Afraid of what?" Sirius asked, confused.

* * *

"Almost there!" Muddy reached out a paw and grabbed onto the branch that Sapphire was deserted on. "Okay!" He sat on the tree branch, pine needles pointing him on his back. He picked up Sapphire. "K, time to go!" He turned around and was greeted with the sight of angry Beedrills. "Uh, hi?" Muddy laughed uneasily, slowly going toward the edge of the tree branch. "Nice Beedrills, heh." The Beedrills advanced as Muddy and Sapphire got closer to the edge of the branch. A loud cracking was heard and Muddy noticed through all the black and yellow of the Beedrills that the branch breaking. "Oh shi-"

SNAP!

The branch broke off the pine tree and down to the mossy ground, taking Muddy and Sapphire along with it.

* * *

"Listen, Sirius, I'm only going to say this once." Skittles sighed to calm her beating heart. "Okay. I'm good. What I wanted to say ever since I met you is that I l-"

Skittles noticed a looming shadow from above and she looked up. She saw a tree branch with two Pokémon riding on it. She quickly jumped out of the way as the tree branch fell onto the ground, dirt uprising from the ground. A figure coughed and fell backward, the Pokemon he was holding being taken down with him. "Muddy? Sapphire?" Skittles noticed the two Pokémon were her friends as the dust cleared.

"Whoa, that was fun! Can I go again, mummy?" Muddy answered, swirls in his eyes.

Sirius ignored the fallen branch and the Pokémon on it as he turned his attention back to Skittles. "You were going to say something important and not stupid to me even though you said it was, Skittles?"

"Wha?" the Delcatty turned around and blushed furiously. "Oh I can't! Not here! Maybe with Sapphire here but not Muddy! He'll just blab the entire thing out!" she mewed nervously. "I better go get help!" She ran for it.

Sirius blinked twice as the feline run away back to camp. A low growl came from the pit of his throat as he began to advance on the Swamp Pokemon. "Muddy, she was about to tell me finally! Who knows when she's going to have the confidence to tell me again!" His eyes glowed red. "Now you must pay for that."

Muddy rubbed the back of his head and smiled innocently, clinging onto Sapphire for dear life. "It's not my fault exactly," he stated weakly as he picked himself up. He backed up into a tree, the Bite Pokémon a few feet away. "It's ... hers!" He dropped Sapphire to the floor and ran back toward camp. "Good luck, Sapphire!"

Sapphire and Sirius looked at each other before yelling in unison. "Get back here!"

* * *

"Oh yes, I remember that day quite well."

So do I.

"You're so weird, narrator person."

Having you as my Pokémon friend does that to me.

"Awesome! But can we go to the next story where I play Cupid again?"

Sure whatev – hold up. Did you say when you get to play Cupid again?

"Yes?"

You ruined Skittles's moment, you moron.

"So I fell in so to speak at the wrong time! Does that make me a bad guy?"

YES!

"Hmmph, you try _so _hard to get two Pokémon together, but you don't get any credit. Now that hurts."

Yeah, whatever, enough rambling. What can I say about that anyway? But moving on, we have got plenty of love problems coming Muddy's way and he had plenty more chances to ruin them. Take Flare for example. Never did seem to have a mate on either Brendan and May's team. But Muddy, with his love arrows at ready, wanted to shoot one of those arrows into a good mate for Flare. Maybe he shot too many.

"Okay. For starters, I don't have any arrows! Another thing is that I didn't get anymore potential 'mates' for Flare. She got them all by herself by making herself noticeable on the telly."

The ... telly?

"I've been hanging around Geiko too much. And thirdly, I just want to say I DID NOT screw up this one. Flare did that by herself!"

We'll see, Muddy, we'll see.

* * *

Flare, a fiery and sarcastic Blaziken, was training in the thickets of trees, using Blaze Kick on rocks to see if they crack in half on impact, using her Flamethrower on brush and quickly stamping it out before it spread. A typical day off for this young Blaze Pokémon. Muddy was scheming something stupid as always, Skittles was trying to catch Sirius's attention, Kadabra was meditating under a pine tree, and Tai, Ninjask, and Cherry were airborne right about now. Nothing new, nothing exciting until-

A Flamethrower that missed Flare's head by a feather caught her attention. She flared up all four claws in anger and annoyance and looked into the distance where the attack came from.

"Whoever shot that Flamethrower is SO dead!" she muttered angrily, ruffling her feathers.

A unexpected gust of wind caught her attention. A dark shadow shot straight upward into the heavenly blue sky and hovered about Flare. The Blaze Pokémon looked up to where the shadow flew from above. Seconds passed by, and the shadow swooshed down in a mighty sweep of his strong wings. It dove, spiraling down to Earth before swooping upwards again and landing in front of Flare.

"Who ... who are you?" Flare asked, bewildered by the stranger's actions.

He was tall, taller than Flare who was a tall, lean six foot one. His strong wings beat the calm air every few seconds, causing the trees in the background to rustle. The flame on his tail was burning brightly, and his tough orange hide glowed with power, confidence, and determination. This creature was no other than-

"A Charizard?" Flare questioned again. "I've heard of you guys before! Your first form is the fire starters in Pallet Town in the Kanto region, right? Flying and fire with dragon type abilities! That is awesome!" she gasped, starry-eyed.

"The name's Charcoal." The Charizard smirked. "And yes, us Charizards do have many more capabilities than your average Fire type. But I hear you Blazikens are fighting and fire. That's pretty cool too." His tail flame grew larger than usual. "Training are we?" he asked, pointing to the burnt brush and the broken boulders. "Bold nature with a hint of cute huh?"

Flare blushed but it was unnoticeable thanks to her red feathers. "Bold, sarcastic, but I don't know about cute."

"Why not?" Charcoal laughed. "I mean, you fit the description."

"If you're trying to flatter me-"

"Which I am."

"-It's not working. I hear boys are bad," Flare stated simply as she flared up her claw and punched a rock.

"Oh, not all of them are, my dear Flare. Not all of them are." Charcoal watched Flare train with amused eyes. "I see this is how you get so strong. Helps you get out the frustration too I heard."

"Yeah, that's – how do you know my name?" Flare looked back at the Charizard when she left a crack in the rock.

"My trainer watches the Pokémon Report when we head into town in the store windows," Charcoal said with a shrug. "You've been on it countless times. I've seen you. Powerful Pokémon that you are. I guess this proves that looks don't matter."

"Oh and what does that mean?" Flare glared half-heartedly at Charcoal.

"Nothing," Charcoal answered, putting his claws outward to show he meant no harm. "Just saying ..." he trailed off. "Anyway, how about I help you train? The fastest way is to battle another Pokémon after all!"

"That's true," Flare said. "Sure! I'd love to train against-"

"Me?" Another voice piped up. "Why train on a pathetic Charizard when you have me here?"

Charcoal turned around furiously and blew a Flamethrower at a nearby busy, burning the contents inside and out. A figure jumped out and landed in front of Flare in a flash. He was the same height as Flare and had a calm and cool demeanor about him. He preened his feathers down and smirked at Flare, his eyes glinting in the sunlight. It was no other than-

"Wow, this is great!" Charcoal muttered to himself sarcastically, "Great, just great."

"Did you say something, Chinese?" The Blaziken smirked, blowing a flame out off the tip of his claw.

"It's Charcoal!" Charcoal huffed angrily, smoke coming out of his nostrils. "What are you doing here, Taichi?"

The other Blaziken frowned. "It's Torch, alright? Get that through your tiny head, Chinese!"

"It's Charcoal, Toenails!"

"It's Torch!"

"Um ... hi?" Flare waved a claw, interrupting the two. "Who are you? I'm Flare by the way!"

"Oh, everyone knows you, babe." Torch winked at Flare but scowled at Charcoal. "I told you claws off! She's mine!"

"Who said I was anyone's?" Flare said, a low growl coming from the back of her throat.

"Uh." Torch smiled innocently and backed away a few feet. "He did!" He pointed an accusing finger at Charcoal. "He's the one!"

"You lie!" Charcoal glowered, the flame on his tail glowing a dangerous color of blue and white. "You said it first! Anyway, what makes you think you have a chance with her?"

Torch snorted. "Well duh! I am a Blaziken after all. Flare is a Blaziken; we were meant to be together! As for you, Chalk Hole, you should get together with, oh let's say, a Numel!" Torch burst out laughing. "You both are at each other's brain speed that's for certain!"

"Uh, I don't get it, and it's Charcoal!" Charcoal replied weakly.

"My point exactly." Torch smirked. "So, Flare, why don't you train with me so you don't have to train with Charco Loco over here?"

"IT'S CHARCOAL ALREADY!"

Flare blinked twice. "Well, if you two are going to argue all day, then I'm going to train by myself-"

"How about you train with me?" A Typhlosion appeared from the midst of the trees, the flames on its back growing with every step he took. "Hi, name's Burner, and I must say it's an honor to be in your presence, Flare." He smirked like the two fire types before him. "And seeing as how these two idiots are going to be arguing all day, you can train with me. I'm the most serious out of all the fire starters-"

"And the most immature at some points," Charcoal added. "I thought you were back at camp, Bunsen."

"Oh yeah, that joke never gets old." Burner rolled his eyes. "Bunsen Burner haha. Hilarious ... not!" He looked at Flare again. "So, do you want to train with me?"

"Oh yeah. Like she'll go for you!" Torch snorted. "With that lame entrance? At least both me and Charcoal over here did something. All you did was enter from some clearing in the forest, looking all mysterious .. wooooooo. Puh-lease."

"Unlike you, Tie Dye, I actually think I don't have to show off in front of hot chicks like Flare. I'm sorry that you two feel unconfident in your abilities and selves."

"It's TORCH!" Torch screeched angrily, causing the other Fire types to wince in agony. "T-O-R-C-H! SPELL IT WITH ME, BURGER! T-O-R-C-H!"

"It's BURNER!"

"I am _soooo _leaving," Flare said wearily, and she turned down the heat around her claws. She walked into another clearing to train. "See you guys late-" A Flamethrower at head caught her attention. She tilted her head, and the flame missing her by inches. "Nice try, Torch," she laughed, turning around to face the Blaziken. "I know it was you. I'd recognize that type of Flamethrower miles away."

"What about our sparing contest?" Torch asked, his claws being licked with blue and white flames. "You told us that you would train with _all_ of us, so you want the best way to train, you got it!"

"Especially if you want to fight fire types!" Charcoal added, puffing his chest a little. "Our trainer is one of the best fire type wielders ever! He specializes in fire types! So you want a good fight, you're staring right at it!"

"Uh, what they said," Burner replied weakly.

"Three against one doesn't sound fair," Flare retaliated, "even if it does get me stronger. Can one of you be on my team too?" she asked, smiling. "Would gladly appreciate it."

The three male fire types looked at each other, and in an instance, Blaze Kicks licked the bottom of claws, Flame Wheels were formed, and Flamethrower were fired.

"I'm going to be on her team!" Charcoal roared, blasting a Flamethrower at Burner's head. "I was here first, so I should be on Flare's team!"

"You know what they say!" Burner ducked, the Flamethrower barely touching his own flames on his back. "First is worst!" he was engulfed in flames as he tackled Torch with all his might.

"Yeah, and second's the best!" Torch retorted, dodging Burner and using a roundhouse Blaze Kick to Charcoal's head. "Third's the nerd! Great description of you, Burger!"

"Its BUNSEN – I mean BURGER – I mean BURNER dammit!" Burner thundered angrily, using Fire Spin on the two other Fire types.

"Haha, loser!" Torch replied, chuckling. "He doesn't even know his own name!" The male Blaziken used his strong legs to jump out of the fiery tornado and into a clearing. He shot a Flamethrower to the ground to soften his landing. "Booger should be his next name!" He laughed, sending Charcoal flying with a powerful Sky Uppercut attack.

Charcoal was sent sky bound but was able to regain control with a mighty flap of his wings. In fact, he kept beating his wings in the air, causing the wind to pick up from below. The three fire Pokémon stationed at the forest floor stood their ground as they looked up at the Charizard.

"What the hell are you doing?" Burner remarked, the flames on his back flickering. With an angry roar, he sent a fire ball hurtling toward Charcoal, but with another massive flit of his widespread wings, he hurled the fire ball straight back at the Typhlosion. Burner caught his own attack in his arms, absorbing and disintegrating the fire ball's energy. "Ha!" Burner cried triumphantly."You're going to have to better than-" A star-shaped Fire Blast engulfed him in blue and white flames. The attack died down, leaving a very charred black Typhlosion. "That ... he finished lamely before falling over in exhaustion.

"Not only is he the weakest link out of all three starters," Charcoal flew back down towards earth, "he is also very lame at making comebacks." He glared coldly at Torch. "Well, it's down toward the two of us! Give it up! I don't want to explain to our master why two of his Pokémon are injured!"

"I never surrender," Torch answered, a hint of determination in his voice. "It's the Blaziken Code of Honor and I quote: Article 3, Section 4 – No Blaziken shall ever surrender when challenged to a battle no matter what the consequence is. The fight is not over 'til it's over, and guess what, Chinese? It's not over til the Charizard begs for mercy!" Torch threw a tremendous Fire Punch toward Charcoal who caught it in his own grip.

Charcoal winced slightly as the blue and white flames licked his claw dangerously. He countered using a direct Flamethrower to Torch's head. "Ha, look!" Charcoal laughed, his claw burning from the heat coming from Torch's claw. "I'm torching Torch!"

Torch ducked but managed to get caught partially in the inferno. He raised the heat in the death lock grip between Charcoal and himself. "I think it's time to heat things up!" he retaliated, smirking as both he and the Charizard was engulfed in bluish-white flames.

Charcoal bawled in agony before loosening his grip on Torch and falling backward to the forest floor.

Torch smiled jubilantly, very smug at the moment. "Looks like I win!" he stated, looking at his fallen opponents. "So Flare? How would you like to be my valentine-" He took in a sharp intake of breath before falling forward toward the earthly ground.

Burner, his claw in a Slash attack position, simpered, flames flickering in his eyes. "Ha," he said under his breath. "Taichi ... What a pathetic Pokémon, keeping his back unguarded like that." He looked toward Flare and reached out for her claw. "So, my dear Flare, will you be my valentine?"

Flare, who kept quiet for the past ten minutes watching the battle, smiling at Burner. "Um-" Her answer was interrupted as a double Flamethrower flew overhead. "You guys never give up huh?"

Charcoal and Torch glared ice cold daggers at the Typhlosion who only flared up the flames on his back in return. The three were in a deathly staring contest, all of them panting heavily from the exhausting battles. A tense silence was in the air. Three THUDS were heard as the three Pokémon fainted.

Flare, her eyes widening, gasped before stating quickly, "I didn't do it!"

* * *

"What?"

Nothing. Just ... sigh.

"Right. See! I didn't screw that one up now did I? Hell, I wasn't even in that story!"

If it makes you feel better, you can think that. Now, as our story comes to an end – thankfully – Cupid here used his last batch of arrows. Thank Latias and Latios and Rayquaza and all the other legendaries that I'm too lazy to mention.

"You've always been lazy – hey! I don't have arrows!"

* * *

Brendan Birch, Pokémon Master in the making, leaned against a tall oak tree, his eyes closed, the soft and gentle breeze brushing through his snow-white hair not safely tucked within the folds of his bandanna. He opened his dark, ruby eyes, peering into the distance, making him look mysterious and determined. The young trainer was in deep thought about the following day: Valentine's Day. He was worried though he didn't show it. A small frown escaped his lips as he stared into the serene stream. What was he to do?

Brendan wondered if he should get something for his valentine. What could he get in the middle of the forest? Tree bark? Rocks? Water? Leaves? He pounded a fist against the old oak tree, leaving a painful tingling in his hand. He turned his head and looked at his companion, May Maple, busy brushing though Skittles' fur. He then looked straight up toward the sky, branches blocking the blue hue from his sight. May was Brendan's valentine – well, she didn't know it but it was well planted in his head. He didn't like her in _that_ certain way, but he liked her enough to make her his valentine.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Bread Head?" Sirius asked curiously, his favorite tennis ball rolling in between his two paws as he curled up around Brendan's feet, sighing. "Can you think at all first though?"

Brendan laughed. "Yes, Sirius. I can think as surprising as it is." He looked down toward the Bite Pokémon. "What's up with you, pal? Shouldn't you be running around or something or going on an adventure instead of lolling about, looking like a Slankoth? You've been napping all day. This isn't like you at all."

Sirius looked up at his trainer, confusion and worry in his eyes. "I'm confused, Brendan. Earlier today, Skittles came up to me and led me to some secluded spot."

"Really?" Brendan asked, putting his hands behind his head and gazing at the river again. "What for?"

"Not sure," Sirius admitted. "Does she want to confess or what?" He put his head on his two front paws. "That she likes me, I mean."

"Maybe, Sirius."

"Ah, well." Sirius sighed as he got back onto all fours. "That's her fault, not mine." He looked at his surroundings, spotting Muddy. "Wait, it's not Skittles fault ..." he trailed off. "It's ... Muddy's! Muddy! You get your butt down here right now! We're going to play a little game I like to call mailman!" Sirius laughed insanely as he began to chase Muddy.

Muddy turned around and saw the dog Pokemon sprinting towards him. "Oh crap!" He threw his notepad and stick into the air and dove into the stream.

"You're not getting away that easily!"

Brendan chuckled quietly to himself, watching the spectacle.

"Ninjask!" Sirius howled, and instantly, the speedy bug hovered to his side. "Help me!"

"Uh, why?" Ninjask asked, confused.

"Just do it!"

"Fine. Here Muddy, Muddy! Come out, come out wherever you are! I got something to show you! It's cookies!"

"You have cookies?" Sirius asked excitedly, jumping up and down. "Where?"

Ninjask sighed. "I was kiddin'. It's to get Muddy out, but since Muddy isn't as cookie-obsessed as you are, Dog Boy, we'll just have to get him out another way!" He charged up his wings with electricity and shocked the river. "That will get him!"

Sirius backed away from the stream, a nervous looked on his face. "And the other hundred Water Pokémon in there," he gulped. "Besides, the shock wouldn't have effected Muddy – he's part ground."

The stream crackled with electricity before dying out, and out rose a tall, looming figure.

"Ha! Muddy! I knew you would come out sooner or later!" Ninjask cried triumphantly.

Muddy only smirked as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, out rose twenty or thirty Water Pokémon, from Magikarps to Seakings. They all glared coldly at Ninjask and Sirius who smiled innocently in return.

Muddy snapped his fingers again. "You all know what to do I presume."

Jet upon jet of Water Guns hurtled toward the cowering two. They screamed in fright and ran for it, getting hit by the Water Gun barrage every now and then. They ran up a tree where the Water Guns could reach them still.

"Somehow, I think I should feel sorry for them," Muddy mumbled to himself as he watched the scene with amused eyes. "But I can do that later. As for now, time to find another love problem!" His eyes rested on Brendan who was leaning against a tree, taking casual glances at May. "Of course, how stupid of me!" He laughed. "I've been thinking of how to get those two to get together, and this is perfect! But what to do." He dug underground and reappeared behind the tree from where Brendan was leaning on.

"I don't know what I'm going to get May this Valentine's in the middle of a forest," Brendan complained to himself again. "If only somehow I can get her a present in town without her knowing. But how do I do that? Make a clone of myself?"

"No, but how about me instead?" Muddy said out loud to himself. "And I got the perfect plan!"

"Don't you think your plans are kind of ... stupid?" Flare regarded behind Muddy. "Two plans failed already. What makes you think this one will work? What's your plan? Drown the world in tears and maybe May will forgot about Valentine's day?" she laughed.

"Who told you my plan?' Muddy replied, turning around to face the Blaziken. "Nah, kidding. My actual plan will work, I know it! I can feel it in my bones. Anyway, where were you? You've been gone for a while. Out with someone, hint hint?" He chuckled. "Let me guess! A Charizard, Blaziken, and Typhlosion appeared out of no where in the midst of the forest, trying to win your heart while you were training and then someone brought up that you guys should double battle and the three male fire types battled it out to see who would be on your team but they ended up fainting in the end. How wrong am I?"

Flare was surprise but she didn't show it. "No," she coolly lied. "I was just training as usual. No biggie."

"So are you in on this plan too?"

"Nah. I think I had enough love problems for today, thank you very much! And as for you, Bemired Muddy Swampert, I would think things out before taking action. I believe you've got two angry Pokémon sitting in a tree because you ordered the water Pokémon in the river to attack them." She jumped into the air and landed gracefully on a tree branch. "Good luck with the humans, Mud Boy!" She disappeared completely in the thickets of the pine leaves.

"Whatever." Muddy shrugged as he dug back underground and out into the other side of the creek. "Now all I've got to do is get a present for Brendan to give to May! But it'll take hours to get back to a town, not mentioning the return trip back. I'm sure I'll be noticed that I'm gone." He noticed Tai looking dull as he flew slowly with Cherry who was whining about something. "Tai!" he cried loudly.

Tai noticed Muddy yelling, excused himself from Cherry and perched on his shoulder. "Thank Latios for getting me out of that, Muddy! That butterfly can complain about things forever! So wuddup?"

"See that?" Muddy pointed at Brendan taking small yet swift glances at May. "We need to get HIM a Valentine's gift for HER!"

"And why?" Tai asked. "What if I don't want my trainer with your trainer? What if I want May to find someone better? What if I don't want to do whatever you say? What if-" Tai was cut off as Muddy reached up one of his scaly hands and closed it around Tai's throat. Tai's eyes widened and his wings flailed about. "I'll do it!" he managed to gasp out.

Muddy let go of the bird Pokémon and smirked. "I thought you'd understand. Now here's what you do. You fly to the closest town, which is Mauville, Veranturf or Slateport, and get May something ... uh-"

"Cute?" Tai spat out the next word. "Yuck."

"Exactly!" Muddy replied. "Like a few Pokédolls or something or chocolate or something 'kyute!' like that." Muddy smirked in triumph. "Great plan, huh?"

"Okay, Mr. Genius. How do you expect me to pay for the gift?" Tai retorted smartly, pecking on Muddy's head. "And even if you do figure out a way for _that_, how am I suppose to go into some shop and buy it? I can't change myself into to a human form, smart one."

"Good point," Muddy replied, rubbing his chin. "Ah! I got it!" He walked over to May's bag that laid under a tree and pulled out a Pokémon Magazine from the middle pocket. "Look at this!" He flipped open the magazine to a direct page focusing of Valentine's Day gifts. "We can mail order! You can be like a carrier pigeon-"

"Swellow."

"Whatever. You can be like a carrier _Swellow_ and fly this mail order to the shop! Then the guy will give you the gift!"

"And what about the moolah idiot?"

"Well." Muddy strolled over to the other side of the tree where Brendan's bag laid. He sat down and placed the bag behind him, slowly unzipping it. He pulled out Brendan's wallet. "I earned most of Brendan's money; I should get at least some of it. Besides, I'm sure that he will be happy to pay for a gift for May if he thought what I thought! That was a confusing sentence."

"Well, you're a confusing Pokemon, Bemired," Tai answered back, the magazine clutched in his beak. He dropped it on the ground and it opened to the Valentine's gift page, using his wing to point to a picture, directing toward a picture of a Torchic doll holding a box of chocolates. "May likes Torchic and chocolate, so this is the perfect gift!"

"Maybe one more gift too," Muddy remarked, noticing the price of the gift. "Too cheap if you ask me!"

"Fine! We'll get her something else too." Tai shook his head. "But what? That Torchic thing is the cheapest thing on the list and we barely have enough money for that!"

"I'll think of something." Muddy tore out the list of merchandise from the magazine and used his charred black stick to circle the Torchic doll and chocolate. He pulled out a light brown leather carrying case from May's bag that she used when she delivered mail to her other friends in the Hoenn Region and placed it around Tai, slipping some money and the merchandise list into it. "Now take this to Slateport's outside market! They'll help you from there!"

Tai shook his head as he jumped off Muddy's head and into the open air. "I'll be back in a hour!" he shouted as he flew up toward the puffy white clouds.

"Now as for the next gift," Muddy thought out loud as he watched Tai take off. "Since we're in the forest, I think flowers would be good. But where are these flowers anyway?"

"Talking to yourself again, Muddy?" Cherry said dully as she rested on Muddy's shoulder.

"Oh so _you're _at least talking to me now?" Muddy answered. "You're not mad at me for ... yeah?"

Cherry shook her head, her wings fluttering. "Nah, it wasn't the right time for Skittles to confess anyway, especially since I don't think Sirius likes her back. How long are you going to keep Ninjask up there anyway?"

"Who?" Muddy questioned. "Ah, anyway, you're a butterfly, right? Do you know where some flowers are? I need some to finish off May's present that Brendan's going to give to her."

"Aw that's sweet, getting a gift for Brendan that he can give to May!" Cherry cooed. "I wish Ninjask got me a gift but-" She glanced toward him. "Whatever. I know where the perfect flowers are! Be right back!" She swiftly flew off toward the forest.

"Okay." Muddy relaxed under the tree. "Well there's nothing to do but wait now."

"Muddy, what are you doing... doing nothing?" Brendan asked as he stood over Muddy. "You're planning something when you're not doing nothing which makes no sense whatsoever."

Muddy froze. "Doing ... nothing! Can't a Pokémon just relax, sheesh! What's up with you trainers today, always so frickin' worried these days! I heard back in the day that every Pokémon stood for itself, and if they had a trainer, they didn't worry about them!" he rambled, an alertness to his voice. "Heh, now go and do something! Study! Uh, go climb a tree!"

"Riiiiiight," Brendan said slowly. "Yeah well. I'll go ... climb a tree." He walked away, taking worried glances behind his shoulder at Muddy.

"Great, even more to do!" Muddy muttered as he walked over to the stream. "Hydro!" he cried into the stream. "Get out here now!"

A large form rose from the water, and Hydro appeared, water dripping off his scaly, blue body. "Yes, Muddy?" the newbie to the team asked. "Muddy right?"

"Yup, that's my name, don't call me Bemired!" Muddy said cheerfully. "Anyway, can you please keep May distracted?" He pointed toward May who was finished brushing through Skittles's fur. "I don't need her to ruin my plan."

"Oh?" Hydro asked, curious. "What's your plan?"

"Get a gift for Brendan so he can give it to May," Muddy replied smartly, glad that at least one Pokémon on the team didn't know about his mistakes but annoyed that he didn't know anything about the Brendan and May issue. "We think that Brendan and May are destined for each other, and we're just pushing them along."

"I see." Hydro nodded. "Okay, but for how long? I was busy napping under water. Evolving from a weak excuse of a Pokémon to someone so big and strong as I-" he puffed out his chest, "-takes a lot out of you."

"Oh, stop bragging already. You're part of a team." Muddy shook his head. "Anyway, keep her distracted for me, alright? I'll get someone to take care of B Boy." He turned around and was face to face with Beautifly, wild flowers balanced on her back. "Oh, you got the flowers!" He took them off Cherry's back. "Do you know how to make bouquets?" he asked hopefully.

Cherry looked at him dryly. "I have no arms, so what do you think?"

"You can't?"

"Exactly."

Muddy held the colorful wild flowers limply in his arms. "Now who's good at arranging flowers?"

* * *

Hydro dove underwater and popped up in front of a surprised May. "Hiya, May!" he chirped cheerfully. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

May smiled happily. "Why, thank you, Hydro! How very kind of you to say that! So, how do you like it with me so far?"

"Oh it's great!" Hydro stated, putting a little too much enthusiasm in it. "Just ... great!"

"Riiiiight. Well I have to go and find Tai! I need him to deliver a letter to my friend Hiro. Do you know where he is?"

"Sorry, I don't." Hydro noticed Muddy making motions of cutting his throat. "Uh, I mean, why don't you send that letter later and talk to me instead! You know, get to know me?"

May looked back toward camp and nodded. "Sure, Hydro. Go ahead."

Hydro smiled weakly. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Er, thanks, Kadabra." Muddy rubbed the back of his head as he held the bouquet of wild flowers in his paw, watching Kadabra sit in the shade of a tree and meditate again.

"Weird that Kadabra knows how to arrange flowers like that," Cherry noted. "But it's missing something." She motioned Muddy to hold the bouquet by the tip of the stem in one hand. "Ok, here it goes!" She fluttered her wings harder than usual, and silver sparkles flew out and clung onto the flowers. "Ah, Silver Wind is a beautiful attack when used on flowers. Heck, it's beautiful by itself." She sighed happily.

Muddy coughed, his arm glinting in the sunlight because of the Silver Wind. "Gee, thanks for the paint job," he said sarcastically.

"No problem, Mud Boy!"

* * *

Hydro fidgeted nervously in the water as he made up lies off the top of his head. Truth is, he couldn't remember diddly squat about his life as a Magikarp. "Well ... I, uh, was the king of the Magikarp," he lied, "and I was well known by everything else."

"That's so cool!" May gasped in delight. "My Gyarados was the King of the Magikarp!"

Hydro smiled weakly again. "Eh heh, right."

* * *

Tai flew awkwardly. The package was heavier than he thought, and besides he got berries along the way too. He spotted Muddy and dove toward him, gaining acceleration as he declined. Maybe he was moving too fast as he crash landed into Muddy's chest. Muddy threw the bouquet up into the air and Cherry caught them on her back as he fell backward, Tai on top of him.

"Get off!" Muddy yelled as he pushed the bird off him and stood back on two feet, brushing the dirt off him.

"How rude!" Tai stated as he hovered next to Cherry. "Well anyway, I got the present."

"Cool!" Muddy exclaimed excitedly as he opened the flap of the leather bag open and pulled out the Torchic Doll, a few Oran Berries tumbling out with it. "The hell?"

"A bird's gotta eat," Tai replied with a shrug as he landed on the floor and ate a berry before hovering again. "Anyway, we barely had enough money for that and a Quick Claw."

"Really?" Muddy answered. "Well that's – a Quick Claw? I didn't order a Quick Claw!"

"But I did!" Tai said, smirking as he pulled out the Quick Claw emblem. He tied it to a metal chain and hung it around his neck. "Now I'm faster!" he cried jubilantly, as he flew around in a circle. "Woot!"

Muddy shook his head. "Okay. Torchic doll and chocolate, check. Flowers, check. Now all we need is-"

"The person to give it to May!" Cherry finished, smiling.

"And the Pokémon to give the gifts to Brendan first," Tai added.

"Whatever."

"Anyway," Muddy started. "Tai, get Brendan. Cherry, you tell all the Pokémon not to interrupt Brendan or May with the petty – wow I didn't even know I knew that word! That word-of-the-day-calendar really pays off! But yeah, Cherry, tell all the Pokémon not to interrupt the trainers with their petty arguments!"

"Aye aye captain!" Cherry and Tai said in unison as they flew off toward their destinations.

* * *

Hydro was getting nervous by the minute, urging Muddy, Tai, and Cherry to hurry up with their gifts with his eyes. "Well, as the King of the Magikarp, I ... got to rule many things!" he said weakly.

"Oh?" May asked excitedly. "Like what?"

"Like the ... seaweed ... and some Goldeens and Seakings."

"Wow!"

* * *

"I got Brendan!" Tai said victoriously, his two claws clutching Brendan's red and black bandanna.

"And I told the Pokémon!" Cherry fluttered back to the group, smiling. "Ah, here comes Brendan now!" she stated as she watched Brendan run after Tai. Tai dropped the bandanna on the ground and flew up into the treetops along with Cherry. Muddy, with both gifts in paw, hid behind the same tree Cherry and Tai were stationed at.

Brendan ran over to his bandanna and picked it up. "Well that was weird," he stated as he tied the bandanna around his head. He spotted May. "Maybe now that I'm done climbing trees, I can finally talk to May!"

"So when you got older, you met the queen of the Water Pokémon?" May asked, getting more and more into Hydro's lies. "Wow."

"Er yeah," Hydro replied. "She even wanted to date me!"

"Amazing!"

Hydro spotted Brendan coming over toward May and Muddy motioning to go back underwater. "Well I must go!" he said suddenly. "Bye!" He dove back underwater.

"Hey, wait a minute!" May stood up from her sitting position and looked down into the stream. Hydro was gone by then. "Oh well," she said sadly. A pair of hands covered her eyes. "Ah! I'm being kidnapped!" she joked, knowing it was Brendan.

"Haha, very funny." Brendan rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. "Hey, May."

"Hey, Brendan!"

Brendan sighed as he put his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't-" He was interrupted as May let out a small shriek of pain.

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing the back of her head and turning around. "Okay, you guys. Who threw the rock?" No response except for the chirping of crickets.

Brendan looked at the back of May's head. He felt two items press into hands. "What the?" He turned around and saw his faithful Swampert.

Muddy shushed him as he smirked and dug back underground.

Brendan pulled his hands back to the front and stared at the gifts: A Torchic doll holding a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a bouquet of wild flowers sparkled with silver glitter. He gaped at the presents but got his face back together as soon as May turned her head back around.

"Oh! Are those for me?" she gasped at the presents.

"Er, yes."

"These flowers are beautiful, and that Torchic doll is soooooo cute!" May cooed as Brendan handed her the gifts. "How did you get these, Brendan Birch, without me knowing?"

"Uh, well. I guess you can say I have someone watching my back so to speak," he laughed.

May gently placed the gifts on the ground and embraced Brendan in a tight hug. "Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered into his ear, hugging him tight, not letting go.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too." Brendan hugged her back tightly also. "My valentine."

"You know, that Muddy ain't so bad." Ninjask flapped his wings while he sat on a tree branch, his wings glinting in the orange-red setting sun. "Thinking of a plan to get a gift for Brendan so he could give it to May for Valentine's."

"Do you think he'll call off the water Pokémon?" Sirius ignored Ninjask's statement. "I've been sitting up here for hours. My buttocks is getting sore."

"Who knows," Ninjask replied, smirking. "Looks like you're stuck up here forever! Like a cat!" He laughed as he flew back into the endless orange red sky. "Later days, my friend, later days!"

"You get back here!" Sirius whined as he sat down grumpily on the tree again. "I want my mommy ..." he sniffled.

* * *

At least you did something good for once this time Muddy. Yet-

"Hey! I got one romance down at least!"

... Say good-bye, Muddy.

"Goodbye, Muddy!"

Latios.

"Have a Happy Valentine's day!"

What the hell makes it so happy in the first place?

"Who really knows."

**Last Revision: 1/12/09**


	30. Hydro's Battle and the Beach Bully!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own it, so sue me.

Muddy: Kidding right?

Yes.

Muddy: 'Cause like then you would get sued if you didn't have the disclaimer but if you weren't joking about your disclaimer then you could still get sued and I'm sure that sentence could make sense if I had more time to think about it but since I don't oh well and now I'm just talking and talking and talking fun fun fun.

That was long.

Muddy: I know.

Anyway, sorry for the long wait! It's not that I had writer's block for this story. It's just that this chapter was harder to write especially since it was a battle chapter and all. But somehow, I manage to update. Let's just say something stirred in me. Something good, something bad. You will never know, haha.

* * *

**Hydro's Battle and the Beach Bully**

**

* * *

**

The trainer giggled again as Brendan and May stood up from the miniature lake that Muddy was still busy filling up. She was rather tall but by her facial features, she looked about their age. Her coppery, auburn hair covered her bare shoulders since she was wearing a halter top. Her shoes kicked the ground, causing some dirt to uprise and land on her shorts. Her entirely black attire contrasted with the perky smile plastered on her face and the giggly attitude.

"And you are?" Brendan trailed off, his shoulders shrugging.

The girl laughed. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Who are you?" May replied, glancing at Brendan through the corner of her eye.

"Oh, I'm, like, sorry again. I'm-"

A piercing scream interrupted her, causing Brendan to quickly turned around.

"I'll be right back," he said slowly as he backed away and returned Muddy back to his Pokéball. He ran to the outskirts of Petalburg and disappeared from sight.

_Thanks for leaving me, B Boy,_ May thought angrily in her head.

"Anyway," May tried to bring up conversation. "Um, that's Brendan by the way, and I'm May! May Maple!" She reached out to shake the other girl trainer's hand. "So who are you again?"

"Oh hi! Nice to meet you, May!" the girl replied cheerfully. "I'm ..."

* * *

Brendan rushed out of the city of Petalburg into the beach area. One hand clasped onto Sirius's Pokéball while the other ran nervously through his snowy-white hair. His eyes darted back and forth, his shoes filling with the soft sand of the beach. He knew someone – or something – was here.

The trainer heard rustling behind him, and he turned around sharply; nothing was there except the slight breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees and the splashing of waves on the shore. Brendan shrugged and continued his path down the long stretch of beach, but then he heard more rustling leaves. The white-haired trainer turned his head again to face the top of the cliff but found no one there. Frustrated, Brendan kicked some sand and shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, continuing his path down the beach.

"Well, as much as I love walking around the beach with my shoes full of sand and also looking like a loner, I'm getting out of here," Brendan said to himself. "Great, now I'm talking to myself." Caught up in his thoughts, Brendan didn't notice the figure behind him, ready to pounce.

* * *

"Jenn huh?" May inquired when the other girl trainer finished. "That's cool. You said you are from Lilycove right?"

Jenn nodded. "Yup! It's the best city out there!"

"Oh, I know, I've heard so much about it!" May smiled. "I so want to go there but with Brendan holding me back ..." She looked toward the outskirt of the small city. "Where is he anyway? Oh well. Anyway, you want to be a Victory Road trainer too?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Jenn giggled. "I'm practically half way there! But-" the smile etched on the girl's face completely vanished, "-no one gets in the way of my dream. You're in my way. I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

May, taken aback by the sudden change in Jenn's attitude, smirked. "Sure! Six-on-Six sound good to you?"

Jenn nodded, her face brightening with a smile again. "Yes. And this way, you can test out your new Pokémon like I overheard!"

"Right!" May nodded, pumped up for the upcoming battle. She enlarged a Pokéball. "I'll start! Go, Thunderbolt!"

* * *

Brendan, sadly enough, did not sense the presence behind him until too late. The "thing" pounced on him like Professor Birch and that Poochyena. Brendan's eyes widened as he tripped over his two left feet, collapsing into the soft sand. He tried to reach out for one of his Pokémon's Pokéballs but his arms were clenched underneath him because of the "thing's" weight. A loud, piercing scream pulsed through his ear, and he winced. He tried to squirm from underneath the mysterious person but to no avail; he was stuck. So he did the only thing he could think of. Good thing he paid attention during the safety code lessons in the Pokémon Academy ...

"This person is not my parent!" the boy bellowed from the top of his lungs. "That really doesn't help when there's no one around to hear you," Brendan muttered out loud a few seconds later.

The person on top of the poor boy shrieked again, and Brendan flinched, the scream echoing throughout his ears.

"Oh, my Latias!" the person screamed in delight. "You are, like, Brendan Birch, aren't you?"

Brendan groaned. "Uh, yes?"

The individual on Brendan's back giggled in delight. "That is _sooooooooo _totally awesome! Do you know who you are, Brendan?"

Brendan, confused by the girl's stupidity, grunted and push the girl off his back. Brushing the sand off his clothes, he observed the girl now that he was standing on two feet again. The girl was shorter than him by at least a couple of inches even with her sandals that were at least a few inches tall. Her long, brown, layered hair stopped at mid-back, a few bangs whipping her face in the summer breeze. Her bright, blue eyes sparkled with delight as she saw her "idol."

"You _are _Brendan Birch, aren't you?" the girl squealed.

Brendan sighed. She looked like one of those air-heads, but he wouldn't judge a person until he actually met them. Maybe she was being sarcastic.

"Well, aren't you?"

Brendan mentally slapped his forehead; yep, an air-head alright.

"Er, yeah," the white-haired trainer replied weakly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Who are you?"

"Oh, my Latias! Brendan Birch asked for my name!" The girl's eyes twinkled as she beamed. "I am, like, Cassie!"

_And I, like, don't care!_ Brendan thought in his head, mocking the girl's voice. _Then why the hell did I ask who she was? Latios, I'm an idiot._

* * *

In a burst of white light, a Manectric with a determined smirk etched on his face pawed the ground, glaring coldly into the distance. Yards away, their was another flash of light, and a confident-looking Mightyena formed, his dark black fur blowing in the wind, its red and yellow eyes flashing dangerously.

May took up her opponent's Pokémon and smirked. At least she would know the attacks of Jenn's first Pokémon thanks to Brendan's own Mightyena. "Thunderbolt, Quick Attack now!"

Thunderbolt nodded his head and sprinted toward the Bite Pokémon with incredible agility. He hit the Mightyena dead on, but it wasn't strong enough to leave a large enough dent in the wolf's energy let alone knock him out.

"Mightyena, Crunch 'em down!" Jenn countered, beaming.

Mightyena, his teeth bared, raced over to the Discharge Pokémon and bit him mid-back. Thunderbolt howled in pain as the Bite Pokemon's teeth sunk into his skin, leaving serious bite marks.

"Hang in there ,Thunderbolt, and use your Spark!" May commanded.

Thunderbolt charged up in volts of electricity and charged towards Mightyena, his blue and yellow fur crackling with the power. He rammed his body into Mightyena's own, shocking the dog with electric power. Mightyena in return used his Thief attack and stole the small magnet chain that hung around Thunderbolt's neck. The Bite Pokémon jumped out of the Discharge Pokémon's way and dropped the item next to his owner's feet.

May sensed Thunderbolt's electric power decreasing. "Try another Quick Attack, Thunderbolt!" she ordered.

Thunderbolt, once again, raced over to the hyena Pokémon and tackled him in a swift manner. Mightyena rolled over but quickly got back onto his feet, his crimson-colored eyes narrowing.

"Alright, Mightyena! You're doing great!" Jenn cheered. "Use Swagger!"

Mightyena nodded and gave Thunderbolt a determined, confident, and prideful look, clearly stating: "You can do it Thunderbolt!"

The naive Thunderbolt fell under the Swagger curse, getting too over confident. His attack power rose to an incredible height but the Swagger effect made him confused – the boost of power was quite pointless if the Discharge Pokémon couldn't aim right. Thunderbolt stumbled around the battlefield, a smirk sketched on his face but puzzlement written in his eyes. Clueless, Thunderbolt tackled what he thought was Mightyena with his head, but ended up crashing into a nearby mailbox instead.

"Hehe, what a fun Manectric," Jenn giggled. "But anyway, time to finish this off! Mightyena, Crunch down and finish him off!"

Mightyena gave out a short bark in agreement and charged toward the Discharge Pokémon, his sharp white teeth sparkling in the sunlight. He bit down hard at Thunderbolt's right fore leg. A sickening crunch was heard. Thunderbolt roared with agony, until he went limp in Mightyena's teeth grasp.

"Thunderbolt!" May cried. "Return!"

* * *

Cassie clung to Brendan's arm like glue. Brendan gave up trying to rid the girl off of his arms what seemed like years ago. Let's face it – the girl was a human vice.

"Uh, do you mind letting go of my arm?" Brendan asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I think it's going numb."

"Oh, the ocean is so beautiful!" Cassie remarked, oblivious to Brendan's question.

"Eh heh, right," Brendan muttered under his breath. "Hold up, how do _you_ know who I am in the first place? I only became a trainer a few months ago and only got a few badges."

"Silly." Cassie batted her eyelashes. " You were, like, on the Pokémon Report with Gabby and T.Y.!"

"Oh, right then." Brendan blinked twice. "Which one?"

"Oh the third time you met them." Cassie counted on her free hand, her other hand still clinging to Brendan's arm. "The one where your totally awesome Mightyena chased T.Y. around the battlefield! That was, like, sooooo funny!" The girl giggled. "It was like, yeah!"

"Like yeah huh?" Brendan said dully. "Do you mind if you kinda, like, yeah, let go of my arm or something?"

"Anyway," Cassie continued, her grip on Brendan tightening, "like, I have this really big thing for boys that appear on television, especially The Pokémon Report, because, like, Gabby is my idol and all and I want to be, like, like her and all! She is so cool! Like the first time you appeared on her show! Tee hee."

_Hmm, good career choice,_ Brendan thought. _You two are both annoying than hell._

"Ah, well. Mind letting go of my arm?" Brendan asked again.

"Don't you think my hair is totally awesome?" Cassie inquired, twirling a strand of hair through her fingers. "But like, Suzy – you know here right?"

"Well considering I only met you fifteen minutes ago against my own free will-"

"Yeah, that Suzy! That little biznatch! She, like, told me that my hair was all ugly and that I needed to cut it because it stunted my growth! Like I need to grow! Right, Brendan? I'm like, so totally tall! At least with these shoes anyway!" Cassie giggled. "But yeah! I hope that she ... that she .. um ... breaks a fingernail! Oh, I'm so evil, aren't I?"

Brendan was busy trying to pry the girl's hand off again due to his boredom. "Oh, what?" he asked. "Uh ... right."

"Latias, Brendan Birch actually agreed with me!" Cassie remarked happily. "We can, like, get married, have kids and, like, live until we're, like, fifty! But anyway, where were we again? Oh yeah! Anyway, Suzy called my hair ugly! Can you believe that?"

"Oh no! Latios forbid."

* * *

May returned her Manectric in a beam of red light, congratulating her Pokémon for a great battle and wearing down the Mightyena. She shrunk down Thunderbolt's Pokéball, switched it with another on her belt, and enlarged the new Pokéball. "Ready for round two?" she asked, a confident smile on her face. "Let's go, Cherry!" She released her butterfly in a blast of bright light. "Use Silver Wind!" the bandanna-wearing girl quickly commanded.

Cherry, a brightly colored Beautifly, flapped her wings rapidly, steel-colored, star-shaped objects fluttering out of her wings, whacking the poor dog all over. Mightyena growled, his teeth bared, his eyes cold with fury.

"Mightyena, Bite attack now!" Jenn ordered.

"Dodge by flying up high, Cherry!" May countered.

Cherry fluttered skyward while Mightyena charged toward the butterfly, eyes flashing. He jumped up as high up as his powerful legs could take him and missed Cherry by a few feet. The Bite Pokemon landed hard on the ground, his legs almost buckling. He turned his head and saw the butterfly giggling, her eyes sparkling playfully. Mightyena growled and tried another round of sharp bites but missed again much to Jenn's disappointment.

"Now, Cherry, finish 'em off!" May cheered. "Secret Power!"

Cherry nodded, her multi-colored wings flashing dangerous red and yellow. She flew straight down toward the Bite Pokémon, her wings still glowing with crimson-colored power. Her head rammed into Mightyena's body, causing the wolf Pokémon to skid across the battlefield, crashing into a white picket fence. Mightyena howled in pain and his knees buckled fully this time, knocked out.

"Good job, Mightyena, return!" Jenn recalled her Pokémon, switched Pokéballs, and enlarged another. "Okay then!" the girl trainer said with a grin. "I choose you, Pelipper!" She released her large pelican Pokémon. "Start things off with Wing Attack!"

* * *

Cassie tripped into the sand, one of the heels on her shoes wedged in between two rocks. Unfortunately, she brought down the white-haired trainer with her seeing as her hand was still clinging to Brendan's arm.

"Ugh, I HATE nature!" Cassie exclaimed, sitting on her knees and brushing the dirt off her tank top. "It's, like, so ... dirty!"

Brendan had his face down in the sand. "Mm hmr moo. Mm MMEE mu ..."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Cassie remarked, her eyes glinting in the sunlight.

Brendan rose from the sand, a confused look plastered on his face. "What? I just said that I hated you-"

"Oh don't say it; I heard it the first time," Cassie giggled, interrupting the boy trainer. "You just said you LIKED me!" she squealed in delight. "Latias, this is totally incredible!"

"WHAT!" Brendan shouted, pulling Cassie's hand off his upper arm. "I didn't say that! In fact, it's the total opposite of what you think I said! The air in your head must block out your hearing or something! What I was trying to say for the past seventeen minutes of torture is GO AWAY! Go ... do your girly things for Latios's sake!"

"Hmpf, well then!" Cassie replied angrily, her dark blue eyes flashing with fury. She flicked her brown hair over her shoulder and stomped back toward Petalburg. "I hope you never get interviewed by Gabby again! She doesn't need an annoying nuisance like you in her way!"

Brendan snorted in agreement. "Yeah, I hope I never see her again either. ALONG with you."

* * *

Pelipper flew toward the Butterfly Pokémon, one of its wings glowing with power. With a tremendous sweep of his wing, the pelican whacked the Beautifly, knocking the air out of her. Cherry crash-landed into the ground, leaving a dirt trail behind her. Cherry groaned and slowly hovered back into the air, panting.

"Hang in there, Cherry!" May cried out, worried.

"While her guard is down, Pelipper!" Jenn shouted. "Use Surf attack!"

Pelipper glowed a shining blue, staring at the pond's water that Muddy just refilled moments ago. With a flap of its wings, it sent a large wave of water hurtling toward Cherry. Cherry eyed her trainer fearfully as the wave went overhead and crashed over her, washing the top part of houses along with it.

"Ugh," May groaned, taking over her bandanna and wringing it out – she just HAD to take the side where the pond was. "Are you alright, Cherry?" May asked, concerned for her Butterfly Pokémon.

Cherry was flat on the ground, her wings spread across the grass floor, her antennas limp from the powerful water attack. She rose into the air slowly, her wings dripping with water.

"Oh no!" May cried. "Cherry can't fly fast when her wings are wet!"

"Perfect then!" Jenn exclaimed, smiling. "Finish her off with another Wing Attack now!"

Pelipper nodded and swept down toward Cherry's level. It swiftly flew past the butterfly, its wing spread wide, glowing with white power. Cherry got the wind knocked out of her again, slamming hard into the ground, swirls where her bright blue eyes were a few moments ago.

"Cherry return!" May recalled her Pokémon. "You did great! You deserve a nice rest." She minimized Cherry's Pokéball and maximized another. "Ok then. This time it won't be easy! Go, Flare!" With a flash of white light, the tall Blaze Pokémon appeared, her claws alight with red and orange flames. "Flare, Fire Punch now!"

Flare, eyes flashing with flames, jumped into the air and landed in front of Pelipper in an instance. In that short amount of time, she punched the Waterbird Pokémon right in the kisser, part of its face burnt from the flames on Flare's claw.

"Pelipper!" Jenn cried. "Supersonic now!"

Pelipper, a burn mark on its cheek, let loose visible sound waves from its mouth, aiming toward the Blaze Pokémon. Flare didn't move as the waves surrounded her, blocking out her hearing and her trainer's commands.

"Flare, finish it off with Blaze Kick!" the bandanna-wearing girl trainer screamed from the top of her lungs. Flare was oblivious to May's command and stood there, her claws still ablaze with flames.

"Now Pelipper, Surf!" Jenn commanded.

Pelipper, its mouth still open wide to continue the Supersonic attack, glowed, once again, a blue shade, a gigantic wave forming overhead Flare. Flare noticed the wave from behind her and jumped to the tops of some nearby trees, the wave falling harmlessly at the Blaze Pokémon's feet. Pelipper rose its head though, directing its Supersonic at Flare again.

"There's got to be a way to shut the bird up," May thought out loud. "Maybe if I scream loud enough, she'll hear me. But she might confuse them, wouldn't she? Maybe if I use one word, she'll think of it as another." May paused. "Worth a shot! Flamethrower while you're still in the tree, Flare!" she screamed, hoping that her words would work.

Flare only caught onto a few words of her trainer's orders: Fame, throw, white, tree, fare.

Obeying orders, the Blaziken jumped down and used her strength to pull out a tree branch. She then threw it toward the Waterbird. Pelipper didn't want to get knocked out by it so he stopped the Supersonic and caught the branch in its mouth. Flare winced; she couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Okay, Flare! Blaze Kick now!" May cried triumphantly.

"Protect now!" Jenn smirked.

"Dammit!"

Flare roundhouse kicked at Pelipper's head but the waterbird created a golden, star-shaped barrier that protected it from the Blaze's Pokémon barrage of kicks.

"Flare, try Blaze Kick again!"

"Protect!"

Flare heated her lower claws with blue and white flames as she kicked at Pelipper with enormous strength. The attacks were futile against the Protect defense though and Flare's attacks were in vain.

"Now, Flare!" May yelled, fists clenched closed. "Sky Uppercut!"

Flare stopped her barrage of fiery kicks and backed up, one claw poised ready to punch Pelipper upward.

"No, Pelipper!" Jenn cried. "Keep your Protect shield up!"

Pelipper, out of breath, powered up his protection field only to let it die down.

"What!" Jenn exclaimed, clueless.

"Protect is a powerful defense that blocks all attacks, leaving the user completely safe," May explained, a smug smile on her face. "But Protect also drains a lot of energy, especially if used twice in a row. So ... Flare, go!"

Flare sprinted towards the waterbird Pokémon and drove it skyward. Pelipper, being a Flying type, tried to slow itself down but the force behind the Sky Uppercut attack was tremendous.

"Now, Flare! Flamethrower!" May commanded.

Flare inhaled deeply and shot out a stream of orange-red flames hurtling towards Pelipper. Pelipper took the attack dead-on, scorching the poor bird even though it was part Water. The Waterbird dropped swiftly toward the ground, spiraling. It landed with a hard thud, dirt uprising from where it lay, the ground vibrating from the rough fall.

"Pelipper, return!" Jenn called back her waterbird and congratulated it on a job well done. She enlarged another Pokéball after switching it with Pelipper's. "Okay. We can play fire against fire if you wanna!" Jenn beamed. "Go, Blaziken!"

* * *

Brendan rubbed his sore arm and groaned. Latios, that girl had a hard grip. He walked up the sandy hill that led back to the cliff only to walk into someone. Already in a pissed-off mood, he snapped,

"Watch where you're going idiot!" The angry white-haired trainer looked up to see who dared to bump into him on a bad day. He gulped. "Eh heh ... sorry?" he apologized meekly when he saw who he walked into. The stranger hovered over Brendan's head by at least six inches and was heavily built. Brendan thought that most of his body weight was muscle. He looked at least a year or two older than him and had chestnut colored hair and crystal blue eyes. Wait ... he swear he saw those same colored eyes and hair on someone else.

"Hey, punk! I heard you told my little sister to leave you alone!" the heavily-built guy barked. "No one tells my sister to leave them alone! Not even you, kid! Not even _the _Brendan Birch!"

"Me?" Brendan pointed to himself, laughing. He put on a fake accent. "Thez iz nut Brendan! Thez iz ... Bernard! Brendan's lost tween brother! Everyone seemz to confuse us, but it iz, how you zay, all right! Now I muzt go-"

The muscle man clenched his fists around Brendan's throat, choking him. "You. Me. Fight."

"Eh heh," Brendan managed to squeak out.

"You make Danny angry!"

"What's with the third person speech?" the boy trainer choked out. He mentally slapped himself; don't ask people sarcastic questions when they're about to kill you.

Danny threw Brendan on the sandy ground, advancing on him slowly.

Beads of sweat formed on Brendan's head as he rubbed the sore spot on his neck. I _can't face this guy! He's HUGE! He's bigger than huge! He's ... another word bigger for huge! Gigantic? Yeah that can work. I'M GONNA GET KILLED! And I didn't even make a will yet!_ Brendan quickly got back onto his feet and enlarged a Pokéball. "If you want to get to me," he stated, a confident smirk forming on his face, "then you're going to have to battle me first! One-on-One! That is if you have Pokémon."

_Perfect_, Brendan thought smugly in his head._ Even if this muscle mean man does have Pokémon, they must be idiots! Just like him and his sister!_

"Fine!" Danny roared angrily. He enlarged a Pokéball. "Machamp, let's fight!"

"Crap."

* * *

The two mighty Blazikens glared menacingly at each other, the air growing tense. The two girl trainers held their breath, seeing which one of them was going to make a move first.

May took the opportunity. "Flare, Fire Punch!"

"Blaziken! Counter Fire Punch with Blaze Kick!" Jenn countered.

Flare dashed toward her opponent, one claw licked in flames. She punched fiercely at Blaziken's face who blocked with its own Blaze Kick attack. The two were engulfed in flames as the two fighting-fire type attacks collided with each other. Flare took advantage of this situation and used her other claw to jab at her opponent's head. The other Blaze Pokémon ducked and brought its leg back down. It then tripped Flare with a Double Kick attack.

"This is going to be tougher than I thought!" May exclaimed out loud. "Those two are practically equal to each other!"

"Great job, Blaziken!" Jenn cheered her Pokémon on as her Pokémon landed back on their side of the battlefield. "Blaze Kick again!"

Blaziken jumped into the air and swung one heavy leg, engulfed in flame, down upon Flare's head. Flare dropped to the floor under the weight but charged back up in flames for a second, the effects of her Blaze ability kicking in.

"Now Blaziken, Overheat!"

Blaziken put two claws on Flare's back and engulfed them both in flames, one feeling nothing, the one going through hell on Earth.

"Flare, hang in there!" May cried, as Blaziken stopped his fiery attack. "Use Slash attack!"

The Raging Fire Pokémon slashed at her opponent's face with a sharp claw. The other Blaziken cried out in agony, one claw gingerly touching its wound.

"Oh, hold on, Blaziken, and use Double Kick again!" Jenn ordered, concern in her voice.

Blaziken let go of its face and jumped into the air. He landed two kicks, one at Flare's head, the other at her back. Flare was thrown toward Jenn's side of the field, looking weak and weary, her Blaze ability activating once again.

"Hang in there, Flare! Flamethrower!" May commanded.

Flare, her body still bursting with flames, projected a steady stream of flames that knocked Blaziken off its feet, courtesy of the boost of energy from the Blaze affect.

"Blaziken, Fire Punch!" Jenn instructed, the smile slowly fading from her face.

Blaziken threw a powerful punch Flare's head if she didn't duck just in time and tripped the other Raging Fire Bird with a Double Kick.

"Now, Flare! Flamethrower!"

"Blaze Kick, Blaziken!"

Flare hovered over the fallen Blaze Pokémon and blew out a fiery jet of flames. The attack would have hit dead on and possibly fainted Blaziken it didn't quickly jump back onto his feet and kicked Flare in the chest, knocking her over.

"Great, Blaziken!" Jenn rooted. "Finish her off with Overheat again!"

Blaziken engulfed Flare and himself in flames that licked at their body, one not feeling affected by it, the other howling in agony. Blaziken smirked and stopped the attack with a swipe of his claw. Tension filled the air again just like at the beginning of this round. Flare slowly got back to her feet, panting heavily, her own flames licking her own body. The two Raging Fire Pokémon staring a steely-cold staring contest between each other. Who dared to fall first?

It was Flare as she fell forward at Blaziken's feet, tired and fainted.

* * *

_Who to face against a Machamp?_ Brendan thought in his head. _Not Sirius definitely! Maybe Ninjask if he had more attacks than Cutting ones. Kadabra, possibly but that wouldn't be too fun would it? Muddy? He hasn't been in a battle for a while I must admit._

"Okay then!" Brendan maximized a Pokéball and threw it onto the sandy battlefield. "Let's get 'em, Muddy!"

In a burst of flashing white light, the Mud Fish Pokémon appeared, a confident smirk plastered on his face. Like trainer, like Pokémon.

"Let's go, Machamp! Start things off with Cross Chop!" Danny ordered, crossing his arms.

Machamp roared a mighty battle cry and crossed his two bottom arms into a X shape. The X glowed in white power as the Superpower Pokémon charged toward the Swampert. He uncrossed his arms when he was only a few feet away from Muddy, ferociously slashing him with his power-packed arms. Muddy blocked with his own arms but was still sent skidding across the battlefield almost into the ocean.

"Surf them down, Muddy!" Brendan commanded.

Muddy glowed a light shade of blue and pointed a paw at Machamp. A huge wave of water went overhead Brendan and Muddy and crashed down on Machamp, also getting Danny soaked to the bone. Machamp was swept off his feet but landed safely on the now wet sand; the sand absorbed Machamp's fall.

"Machamp, Seismic Toss!" Danny directed.

Machamp jumped back onto his feet and bolted toward the Swampert, his four arms stretched out wide. The Superpower Pokémon captured Muddy in his grasp and jumped high into the air thanks to his powerful leg muscles. Reaching a high enough altitude, the Machamp threw the Mud Fish Pokémon hard to the ground.

"Slow down your landing with Water Gun, Muddy!" Brendan quickly retaliated.

Muddy, whose eyes were screwed-shut closed, fired a jet of icy cold water down onto the ground. Luck wasn't on Muddy's side this time; the sand absorbed the water just like how the sand absorbed Machamp's fall. It didn't slow Muddy down but the attack did manage to make the ground softer than usual, so Muddy didn't get as hurt as he should have been.

"Machamp, Vital Throw now!" Danny instructed.

Machamp glowed with energy for a second and began to shift his weight around between his two feet as if full of excitement. He then charged toward Muddy with incredible speed, picking up the Mud Fish Pokémon in all four arms and throwing him out to sea. Muddy landed with a rough splash onto his back. Luckily, it didn't paralyze him, but it did practically knock the wind out of him.

"Ouch," Brendan winced as he turned around to face the ocean. "You alright, Muddy?"

Muddy swam back to shore and shook himself dry. He nodded as he glared daggers at the now laughing Machamp.

"That's the spirit, Muddy!" Brendan called triumphantly.

"What?" Danny asked curiously. "Glaring at your opponent?"

"No," the white-haired trainer said slowly. "Getting back onto your feet is what! Use Mud Shot, Muddy!"

Muddy nodded again, shooting a jet of sticky, brown mud toward the Superpower Pokémon. The attack hit dead on, blinding the Machamp for a second. The muscle-packed Pokémon stumbled across the battlefield, trying to wipe the mud off his face.

"No, Machamp!" Danny exclaimed.

"While his guard is down, Take Down!"

Muddy rushed towards the Machamp and jumped into the air, careening into the Superpower Pokémon and knocking him down onto the ground. Unfortunately, that was when Machamp cleared himself of the infernal mud. He glared coldly at the Swampert who only smiled innocently in return.

"Quick Machamp! Revenge!"

In a quick flash, Machamp pushed Muddy off him and pinned the Swampert down onto the sandy ground by the neck.

Brendan cussed, thinking of a strategy.

* * *

"Flare, return!" May recalled her Pokémon and whispered words of praise to her. She switched Pokéballs and threw the new one onto the field. "Let's go! Skittles!" She released her feline Pokémon. "Shock Wave!" she cried, using the new TM move her cat just learned a week ago.

Skittles, a lovely Delcatty, mewed and charged up with pure electric power, shocking her fiery foe. Blaziken was enraged by the attack and blew a jet of flames toward Skittles on its own free will. Skittles narrowly dodged the barrage of the incoming flames but her left leg got burned all the same.

"Let's see ... Attacks ... attacks," Jenn thought out loud.

"Huh?" May inquired, puzzled by her opponent's clueless behavior.

Jenn shrugged. "Dunno, just seemed more dramatic if I said that." She giggled. "Okay, Blaziken. Blaze Kick!"

"Dodge, Skittles, with Faint Attack!" May quickly retaliated.

The Raging Fire Bird Pokémon roundhouse kicked at Skittles with his claws aflame, but she swiftly dodged by using her Faint Attack. She appeared behind Blaziken and tackled from behind. Blaziken stumbled forward but didn't fall. He did, however flare up with flames – the Blaze ability.

"Hurry, let's finish 'em off!" May cheered. "Use Assist!"

Both Skittles and one of May's Pokéballs on her belt glowed a bright red, and soon Skittles released a powerful ball of energy from her mouth – a Dragon Rage attack from Hydro, the Gyarados. The Dragon Rage crackled with power and it hit the Blaziken dead on, knocking it onto his back. He blacked-out and Jenn returned it, congratulating it on a job well done.

"Okay, round four!" Jenn enlarged a new Pokéball. "You're up, Swellow!"

"It's weird but we pretty much have the same Pokémon," May pondered out loud. "Okay, two but still. Skittles, Shock Wave now!"

"Dodge with Aerial Ace!" Jenn retaliated.

The Calm Pokémon charged up with electric power again and aimed the attack at the Swellow. The fast-moving bird quickly dodged the electric attack and used its sharp beak to slash across Skittles's face. Skittles mewed in anguish, a red cut forming on her cheek.

"Ouch! Are you alright, Skittles?" May asked worriedly.

Skittles nodded, a determined smile etched on her face.

"Good!" May cheered happily. "Use Doubleslap attack!"

Skittles mewed and sprinted toward the Swallow Pokemon. She jumped into the air and severely slapped the poor bird with her two front paws repeatedly. Swellow dodged the last few and flew out of Skittles's reach.

"Steel Wing, Swellow!" Jenn directed.

Swellow's right wing glowed with steely-silver power and it flew speedily towards the Feline Pokémon. It swiped its wing, whacking Skittles off her feet, colliding into another mailbox.

"Skittles!" May cried as she saw swirls in her Pokémon's eyes. "Return!" She recalled her Pokémon into her Pokéball with a beam of red light. "Good job Skittles! I'm proud of you." She changed Pokéballs on her belt. "You ARE tougher than you look, Jenn."

"Thanks!" Jenn smiled brightly. "Wait-"

"I choose you, Tai!"

* * *

Muddy was gagging. He wanted to cry out but the Superpower Pokémon closed over his vocal chords. Instead, he squirmed, trying to kick the Machamp off him.

"Muddy, Dig now!" Brendan shouted, getting worried.

Muddy tried his best to dig backward. The attempt was useless and even if Muddy was free of Machamp's grasp, the sand would just easily refill the hole the Swampert would create.

"Machamp, you're doing great!" Danny yelled, pleased with his Pokémon.

"Water Gun won't do no good if Muddy's neck is closed," Brendan grumbled out loud. "So now what?"

Muddy had his own idea. Reaching out a grabbing a handful of sand, he aimed it into Machamp's eyes kind of like a Sand Attack. Machamp howled in pain again, the second time he was blinded. His two bottom arms let got of Muddy's neck and before his upper arms could grab a hold of the Mud Fish, Muddy jumped back onto his feet and Water Gunned Machamp back into the cliff. Machamp created a dent in the cliff and fell forward.

"Argh! Machamp, return!" Danny recalled his Pokémon, flames in his ocean-blue eyes. Nevertheless, he thanked his Pokémon for a job well done as he advanced on Brendan again, ignoring the fact that the Swampert behind him was poised, ready to pounce on him if anything happened.

Brendan couldn't help but feel cocky at the moment. He did, after all, defeat muscle man. "Oh yeah, oh yeah!" he cheered. "Who's the trainer now? I win, you lose! I win, you lose! I wi-"

POW!

* * *

May released her own Swellow in a blaze of light. Tai flapped his wings and gave out a battle cry, eyeing his opponent carefully.

"Swellow, Wing Attack now!" Jenn attacked first for this round.

"Counter with your own Wing Attack!" May retaliated hastily.

The two Swallow Pokémon flew towards each other with amazing agility and their wings slashed at each other, clashing together like a sword fight. The two retreated back to their own sides of the field, glaring icy cold daggers.

"Tai, Quick Attack!"

"Fly up high, Swellow!"

Tai rocketed toward the other Swallow Pokémon but Swellow dodged out of the way by flying up high above the clouds.

"Now where did that Swellow go," May thought out loud.

Tai was curious too as he rose up high to find Swellow. He found him soon enough as the Swellow spiraled down toward him, its sharp beak prodding Tai in the back. May's Swallow Pokémon fell to the ground in a heap, creating a small crater.

"Try and get up, Tai!" May cried, concerned.

Tai rose out of his own hole, wincing with every movement he made. He hovered back into the air very slowly, his wings quaking every now and then.

"Must have been a powerful Fly attack," May murmured to herself. "Okay, Tai. Use Aerial Ace!"

Tai, despite his injuries, dashed toward Jenn's Swellow and slashed at it with his beak, slamming the other Swellow into the ground this time.

"Swellow!" Jenn cried. "Are you alright?"

Swellow fluttered back into the air but soon fell back down, knocked out by the Aerial Ace attack.

"Return!" Jenn took back her Pokémon into its Pokéball. "Good job Swellow; you deserve a nice rest." She smiled as she switched Pokéballs. "Okay! Let's go, Sharpedo!" She released the scary yet strong shark Pokémon from its Pokéball into the small pond. "Use Crunch!"

Amazingly, Sharpedo jumped out of the water high enough to grab Tai from mid-air and crunched down hard on him. Tai tried to squirm out of the shark's grasp by flapping his wings but failed. He gave a sharp intake of breath as Sharpedo's teeth began to sink down into his flesh and he fainted on the spot because of the blinding pain.

"Tai, return!" May recalled her Pokémon from the shark's grasp. "You did awesome!" She switched Pokéballs on her belt and took out another – Hydro's to be exact. "Finally it's time to test my new Pokémon! Go Hydro!"

In a blast of white light, the Gyarados appeared, roaring a mighty battle cry as he hovered in the air.

"Hydro, uh," May paused. "Damn, what are Hydro's attacks?" She took out her Pokédex and scanned Hydro.

Jenn took advantage of the situation. "Sharpedo, Surf!"

Sharpedo glowed a dark blue and a wave of water from the pond grew overhead, crashing down onto Hydro. The Atrocious Pokémon wasn't hurt too bad though seeing as he was part water.

"Ah ha!" May said, finished with her scan on her Gyarados. "Use Thrash now!"

Hydro roared again and whacked Sharpedo out of the water with his strong tail. Sharpedo flew out the water and crashed into a house wall, chipping the sides.

"Ooh, I'm not paying for that!" Jenn laughed. "Sharpedo, are you alright?" she asked worriedly when her Shark Pokémon didn't move.

Sharpedo slowly slid down the wall and panted heavily since it was out of water. With a quick intake of breath, it fainted right on the spot. Hydro thundered triumphantly – his first win.

"Sharpedo, return!" Jenn recalled her Pokémon. "You did a great job!" The girl trainer eyed her opponent's Gyarados. "Hmm ... That Gyarados is stronger than it looks, especially since May caught it. But Aggron can take it on! Go!" She threw a Pokéball onto the battlefield. The white form took shape into a strong, tall, Aggron with a fierce look in its eye, its tail sweeping back and forth.

Hydro turned around to face his opponent, casually glaring at him through lazy eyes.

"I wouldn't underestimate this one, Hydro," May warned. "Yeah, it was easy to take out that Sharpedo with a flick of your tail but Aggron is no lightweight."

"Aggron, Thunderbolt!"

Aggron – practically being a living lightning rod – charged up with electricity and pounded his fists on the ground, the jolt rushing toward the Atrocious Pokémon at an alarming weight. The attack zapped Hydro, but he was only sparked a little so to speak, still ready to fight.

"Hydro ... uh," May tried to remember Hydro's attacks again. "Oh yeah! Use Dragon Rage again!"

A powerful red and yellow energy ball formed from the inside of Hydro's mouth. He fired at the Iron Armor Pokémon, the energy ball crackling with power.

"Protect now!" Jenn countered, smiling.

"That attack is getting SO old!" May muttered under her breath.

Aggron used his arms to create a golden barrier between him and the Dragon Rage. The energy ball kept prodding on the indestructible force shield until it disappeared into nothingness.

"Hydro, Bite now!" May ordered.

Hydro dove downward, a determined look in his eye, as he reached the Iron Armor Pokémon and bit him on one of the horns. The attack seemed useless though against Aggron's layers of steel.

"While you're at close range, Aggron! Metal Claw!" Jenn cried triumphantly.

Aggron rose his right claw and concentrated steely energy on it. He swiped down hard at Hydro's back, leaving red slash marks in a sea of blue scales. Hydro roared in agony and let go of the Aggron's plates. He flew back a few yards and swung his tail at him, another thrash attack. Aggron didn't move though but stood his ground. He caught the tail in between both hands, only skidding back a few feet.

"Alright, Aggron!" Jenn cheered happily. "Now finish him off with Thunderbolt!"

Aggron roared and charged up with electric power, also shocking the Atrocious Pokémon. Hydro thundered angrily and tried to get out of the Iron Armor Pokémon's grip but failed.

"Hydro!" May cried.

Aggron stopped his vicious Thunderbolt attack and released Hydro from its grip. The Gyarados flew back to his side of his field ever so slowly and dropped dead, blacked out.

"Return, Hydro!" May recalled her Pokémon. "You did a great job; you deserve a nice rest." May looked up and walked over to her opponent's side of the field.

Jenn was busy congratulating her Pokémon, beaming and giggling. She returned her Pokémon in a beam of red light when she saw May coming her way. "That was a good battle, May!" she giggled again. "I haven't had a tougher one than that for a LONG time!"

"Ditto." May shook Jenn's hand and smiled. "So now that the battle is cleared out of the way, what do you want to do? Hang on – what happened to Brendan?"

"If you mean that white-haired kid who's wearing a black and red bandanna and limping, he just came back!" Jenn giggled, "Ouch. I wonder what happened to him. He looks scratched up!"

Brendan appeared from the outskirts of the city, limping on his left leg, one hand carefully covering his right eye. He soon reached the girl trainers – despite the fact that he was staggering – and dropped his hand, revealing his black eye.

"Are you alright? What happened to you?" May asked worriedly, reaching out and gingerly touching around Brendan's eye with her fingers, the other hand lifting his chin slightly.

Brendan sighed, wincing with every time May touched his black eye. "Please. Don't. Ask."

* * *

Thanks to all the reviewers that I talk to on AIM that kept my butt in this chair for quite a while to finish this. Even though you guys were almost annoying the crap out of me, it's alrigh,t haha. And I EVEN woke up early on a SUNDAY to finish this chapter. Quite sad huh?

And the girl Brendan met in the comic relief part of this chapter was based on this girl I hate from school. Danny is someone I made up haha.

Reviews...

Gonna do those later seeing as I haven't updated in forever! Sorry again!

Muddy: Jeez, Breeze. Hey that rhymes!

What's your point, Muddy?

Muddy: Oh yeah! Dang, you haven't updated in like ... FUH EVA!

I said that, didn't I?

Muddy: Was I suppose to be listening?

Yeah.

Muddy: Okay, so if I didn't – not saying that I did that is – will my paycheck, you know, decrease?

No.

Muddy: Okay then! I wasn't listening!

-.-; Whatever, LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	31. The Secrets Behind Team Magma

**Disclaimer**: Breezy no own Pokémon but HAHA! You don't either!

Flare: Oh, brother.

Did you know that if I was a boy, my name would be Jay?

Flare: Riiiiiight.

Shut up, LEAVE ME ALONE!

Flare: Psycho girl in the room, duck and cover everyone!

Muddy: STOP, DROP, ROLL! (hides under desk) Is it safe yet?

Flare: No.

Muddy: This chair leg needs CPR, STAT!

Flare: Well someone's been watching their hospital shows.

Lame.

Flare: Well, what do you think they're called Breezy?

Easy, boring.

Flare: That doesn't make sense.

Oh but it does if you think about it.

Flare: . . .

* * *

**The Secrets Behind Team Magma**

**

* * *

**

After a long day of weary battling, the two bandanna-wearing trainers decided to call it a night back at the Pokémon Center. Jenn left moments ago to continue her way toward the Pokémon League.

Brendan collapsed onto his bottom bunk, an ice pack over his right eye. He sighed and sat back up, staring at his companion's back. "Hey, May. What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" The girl trainer turned around quickly. "Oh, just reorganizing my things, seeing if I have enough supplies to battle my dad."

"May, you're going to do fine!" Brendan reassured the girl. "Just give it your all and don't get him mad by getting arrogant. You don't want a black eye like I have right now do you?"

"Well I seriously doubt that my dad would punch me even if he did get mad at me," May debated. "But yeah, I see your point. I don't want a black eye like yours by acting all cocky and confident now do I?"

"Shut up," Brendan said coolly, glaring.

"Well aren't we in an pissy mood tonight. Besides, you're the one who brought it up." May smiled innocently, tossing an empty Pokéball up in down in her hand. "Anyway, we have to go do something than just sit here all night! Why don't we go out and do something?"

"May, we just got here," Brendan pointed out. "And I'm tired from getting, you know, beat up?"

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry about that," May giggled, throwing her pillow across the room to Brendan.

The white-haired trainer caught it in his free hand, the other hand still holding the packet of ice to his eye. "If you want to do something, go ahead! Just don't go too far seeing as all your Pokémon are getting healed."

"Yes, mother dear," May laughed as she hopped off her bed and walked toward the door. "I think I'll go shopping. You want anything?"

Brendan reached into his backpack and tossed May a few coins. "Yeah, get me food. I don't think I want to go eat in public with a black eye."

"It might be awhile," May warned, barely catching the coins in her hands.

"I'll live." And with that, Brendan flopped back down on his bed, the ice pack still over his right eye.

"Alrighty then, B Boy." May opened the door. "See ya in a few hours!"

"A few hours!" Brendan exclaimed but too late; May closed the door on him. "Damn you, May Maple!" He shook his fist at the door. "Damn you!" An annoying beeping noise interrupted the boy's rant. "Who dare calls Brendan Birch while he is in the middle of a rave?" the boy trainer remarked in a deep voice, reaching into his yellow backpack for his PokéNav. "Oh! Hi, Mommy!"

* * *

May reached the town square where the mayor's office stood along with the flag pole where she previously hung Brendan's boxers from.

_Who took down his boxers anyway? _she thought to herself.

The girl trainer shrugged and continued her way down the dirt path toward the shopping center. She passed her dad's gym, hoping that he would come back soon. She really wanted her next badge so they could finally get to Fortree, and better yet, Lilycove, the best town to shop in!

"No way!" May gasped in horror. "Closed early! No! I was suppose to get some Secret Base supplies and food!" She peered inside of the shop window, trying to see if anyone was inside. "It's only eight at night! Let me in, let me in!" She pounded her fists on the window.

Giving up, she pushed herself back up to standing position but soon leaned her back against the glass, slowly moving downward toward the ground. Blowing a few of her bangs up with a sigh, she looked around the small town, seeing what else she could do besides shop. She could visit Wally's parents and thank them for giving Brendan and her the Surf HM. Or she could wander the streets, looking like a freak, her real dream besides becoming a Pokémon master.

Rolling her eyes at her own sarcasm, May pushed herself back up and roamed the streets of Petalburg, minimizing and maximizing an empty Pokémon in her right hand. She couldn't even train seeing as her Pokémon were back in the Pokémon Center.

"Latios, there is _nothing_ to do at all!" May exclaimed to herself. "I wish there was something to do ... Anything!"

"Then perhaps we can help you with that!" a voice from behind her said eerily.

May, in a flash, turned around, her sapphire-colored eyes alert. "Be a trainer and get out of the store's shadows! Who are you?" she demanded,

"That is none of your concern," a slightly deeper voice from the first answered. "Just roll your Pokéballs in the direction you're standing and we might just let you live."

May laughed mockingly. "Oh, is that so huh?" She placed her hands on her hips, her eyes stern and cold. "Oh please! It would be a cold day in hell if I ever give away my Pokémon without a fight!"

"That can be arranged!" And with that, two flashes of white light burst out of two Pokéballs, forming an angry-looking Vileplume and a ferocious Crobat. The Vileplume released toxic, green smoke from the red, flower-like design on her head. The Crobat flapped his four wings viciously, hissing, revealing his fangs.

May backed away from the two advancing Pokémon, really wishing she had at least one Pokémon with her. "Dammit! I should have listened to Brendan and not of gone out!" she muttered under her breath. "Someone please, help!"

"Go, Charcoal! Flamethrower!" a voice from behind the bandanna-wearing girl cried out loud. A flash of light shone from a Pokeball, and in front of May stood a Charizard, the flame on its tail dancing in the wind as he beat his powerful wings. With a mighty roar, a powerful stream of flames bursted from the Charizard's mouth, aiming at the Crobat and Vileplume, burning them to a crisp.

"Hmpf, you may have won this round!" The first voice returned the Vileplume.

The second returned Crobat. "But we'll be back!" There was the slight sound of feet shuffling, signs that the two 'trainers' were leaving.

May blinked twice as the trainer that saved her returned his Charizard. She turned around and saw the boy whispered words of praise into his Pokémon's Pokéball. While he was doing that, May observed the boy underneath the bright street lights. His crimson-colored eyes sparkled with mischief and determination as he ran a hand through his spiked ebony-colored hair, the spikes tipped with dark red. A long, silver chain hung from his black shorts, and his red tee seemed longer than it should be.

"Who and what were they?" May asked more to herself than to the boy.

"Probably desperate Pokémon thieves seeing as they did ask you for your Pokéballs," the boy answered. He extended his hand to shake May's. "Hi, I'm Chris. Chris Conifer of Sootopolis."

"Hi, I'm May. May Maple of Littleroot." May smiled and shook Chris's hand back. "By the way, thanks for saving me back there, Chris."

"No problem. Always happy to help!" Chris grinned back. "But I always thought that the 'famous' May Maple had her own Pokémon team. At least that's what they said on the Pokémon Report four times."

May couldn't help but sigh. "Yeah, it sometimes feels like Gabby and T.Y. have been stalking me lately. And I do have a Pokémon team! I just had a really tough battle today and they're getting healed as we now speak."

"Since you are a trainer, do you know a kid named ... Brendan Birch?"

* * *

Brendan was bored as he laid flat on his back, reading a Pokémon Magazine that he sneaked inside from the Pokémon Center Lobby. Throwing it to the side, he began to create pictures and patterns from the fake wood on the bottom of the top bunk bed. The annoying beeping noise of his PokéNav began to ring again, and Brendan signed in frustration.

"Jirachi! I just told mom that I _am _putting on deodorant! What else does she want to know?" Brendan remarked, annoyed. He rolled onto his stomach and reached inside his backpack for the device. Pressing the button that opened the cover of the PokéNav, the white-haired trainer read who was calling, a frown immediately emerging on his face. "Why is Maxie calling me now of all times?" he pondered out loud. He pressed the red, beeping button. "Maxie?"

"Ah, Brendan, I wasn't sure if I could get to you," Maxie replied from the screen of his PokéNav, a rather smug smile plastered on his face. "Is anyone there?" he asked, his crimson-colored eyes narrowing. "This information is for Team Magma members only, and we don't need it to get in the wrong hands now do we?"

"I suppose not. You're lucky you called right now," Brendan replied, running a nervous hand through his snowy white hair. "My friend that travels with me just left to go shopping."

"Good then." Maxie nodded. "Here's what I want you to do. I've just heard from my Grunts that you're in Petalburg, am I correct?"

"Yes," Brendan answered back slowly. "I just got my gym badge here."

"Excellent." Maxie laced his fingers together, looking quite devious. "I have one of my other most valuable members in town. He joined just like you and does his Team Magma duties while getting badges and so on and so forth. I want you to meet him."

"And how will this help the team?" Brendan inquired, raising an eyebrow. "I am plenty strong without meeting other strong Team Magma Members."

"I am not questioning whether you are strong or not, Birch," Maxie answered coolly. "That question has been answered a long time ago when you defeated that Team Aqua girl back at Mount Chimney. I want you to meet him because perhaps later on you two can team up and defeat enemies. Think of him as a partner if you will."

"Ah, ha," Brendan laughed, smirking. "You don't think I am strong enough, do you?"

The Team Magma leader had a thoughtful look in his eye before replying. "Yes, you two trainers are already strong by yourselves, but there are much more stronger trainers you will most likely face. One lost causes great damage to the team by spoiling the reputation I have worked so hard to build. So if you two meet each other and one of you gets in a sticky situation, one of you can pull the other out."

"Even though that sentence could use a lot of work, I'll go meet the kid. What's his name?"

"His name? Chris. Chris Conifer."

* * *

May nodded her head as the two new friends walked around the town square several times. "Yeah, I do know Brendan Birch. I, in fact, travel with him. You should have seen him on the Pokémon Report with me seeing as we always double battle against Gabby and T.Y."

Chris looked thoughtful for a minute. "You mean that's him?" he finally piped up in disbelief. "That guy with the white hair, red eyes, and that red and black bandanna over his head? Him?"

"Yeah," May answered. "That's him alright. He also always has this cocky looking grin on his face when he's in battle."

"Yep, that's definitely him alright," Chris muttered under his breath.

"So, do you want to meet him or something?" May inquired after a few moments of tense silence.

"Yeah, I have to – I mean, yeah, why not?" Chris began to get nervous, fiddling with the silver chain that hung from two belt-loops. "Heard he's a good trainer ... Yeah."

"Um, okay." May eyed the boy weirdly before heading off in the Pokémon Center's direction. "He's back in our room. He doesn't want to go out because ... Well, he got punched in the eye for being too arrogant after he won. His opponent didn't take the taunting too well."

"Ouch," Chris murmured. The two soon reached the center and Chris opened the door. "After you."

"Thanks." May smiled as she walked in, Chris following closely behind. "He should be back in his – Brendan?" the girl trainer gasped, noticing the boy standing next to the counter, reading a pamphlet. The two walked over toward him. "What are you doing out here? Aren't you going to get embarrassed?" She laughed. "Then again, your swelling is going down. Too bad your head won't."

"Haha, funny." Brendan rolled his eyes, putting the pamphlet down. He noticed the other boy trainer standing behind May. "Sup? I'm Brendan Birch. Who are you?"

"Chris Conifer," Chris answered slowly.

Brendan raised an eyebrow, surprised that he already found the kid that Maxie wanted him to meet. "Ruby red?" the trainer muttered, stating the code phrase that Maxie told him to say to prove that the boy was the real Chris and not an imposter.

"Flaming ice," Chris replied back smoothly, noticing the odd glances that May was giving both the boy trainers from the corner of his eye. "Yeah, I'm Chris. Nice to meet you, Brendan Birch."

"You too, Chris Conifer."

"Um, okay then." May blinked twice in confusion. "I'm going to get some soda at the vending machine? Anyone coming with?"

"Nah," Brendan replied, shaking his head. "I'm good."

"Ditto," Chris said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Alright then. Be right back." May moved away from the boy trainers slowly before going farther down the Pokémon Center's lobby.

"So you're Brendan Birch, huh?" Chris smirked. "Maxie called me a few hours ago, telling me to find you somewhere in Petalburg. Telling me that it would be 'good' or something." He rolled his crimson eyes. "As if I need help if I get challenged by some Team Aqua Admin!"

"Well aren't you a cocky little bas-" Brendan stopped his sentence. "Knowing May, she probably told you that I'm arrogant too, so I'll just stop there."

Chris nodded. "So you're in Team Magma too huh?"

"No, I just like saying the code phrase, 'Ruby red' every now and then," Brendan retorted sarcastically. "Of course I am!"

"Ah, I see," Chris replied, frowning a bit. "So how did Maxie 'convince' you to join? Threats to your family, stealing one of your Pokémon and you have to work back for it, what?"

"What are you talking about?" Brendan asked, puzzled. "I joined the team on my own free will. Don't all Team Magma Members?"

"Are you kidding me?" Chris asked in disbelief.

"No?"

Chris's eyes widened for a moment as he raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Apparently, you're new to this entire 'Team Magma' thing aren't you?"

"Yeah, joined at least a month or so."

Chris shook his head. "Rookies. It surprises me how you got on Maxie's good side so fast. Then again, the same happened to me the first two weeks I 'joined.'" He sighed. "Just know this, Birch. Not all members wanted to be members in the first place."

"Huh?" Brendan questioned, confused. "What do you mean not everyone wants to be a Team Magma agent?"

"Shhh, not so loud, man!" Chris warned. "You never know who's listening." He pointed toward a table and sat down, Brendan following suit. "Look, we don't have much time before May comes back, so I'll explain as much as I can. There are two teams as you probably know, Team Magma and Team Aqua. Each one wants one thing and the other wants to stop them from doing it when that plan is executed. A long time ago, Team Aqua tried to steal an orb – a powerful orb at that. This orb could awaken a Pokemon called Kyogre, a powerful water legendary that could cause the world to flood up with its special ability. Team Aqua wanted to make the world more water for more Pokémon habitat or something – I'm not too clear on that detail. Team Magma did somehow end up stopping it along with another powerful trainer – now what was his name? Steven is it? Steven Stony? No ... Steven Stoned I think, or something like that. Anyway, years later after Team Aqua's plan failed, Team Magma is trying it to make the land-"

"Half water half sea right?" Brendan answered.

Chris laughed. "Are your crazy, dude? Of course not! Team Magma only wants all land for 'more housing and more room for Pokémon to live,'" he quoted. "This time for Team Magma though, their trying to steal the orb. Not the same orb that Team Aqua is trying to steal, but a different one. The blue orb."

"Blue orb?" Brendan scratched his head. "From what I've heard, there are two orbs, the red and blue one. Shouldn't we be taking the red one?"

Chris shook his head again. "It would be better if Team Magma didn't know this detail but I trust you not to tell. The blue orb only awakes the legendary Groudon, but the Red One controls it. This is what happened to Team Aqua a few years back. They didn't know about that small detail when trying to awaken Kyogre."

"But if Team Aqua did manage to awaken Kyogre, why didn't they just catch it?" Brendan inquired.

"Ah, well. Kyogre is a powerful beast, one of the strongest. You can't just battle it. You have to let it see your heart pretty much."

"Then what's the ... whatever orb for?"

"That, my friend, I cannot answer."

Brendan frowned. "But what does that have to do with members not wanting to be members?"

"Chill out. I was getting to that." Chris looked down the hallway where May was getting sodas. "See, after that ... Kyogre fiasco, more members of both teams began to quit. Maxie and Archie, the Team Aqua leader, couldn't allow that. I'm not sure why Team Magma members wanted to quit but... Anyway, like I was saying, Maxie began to sink low, lower than low. Like fifty feet of dirt, a layer of crap, more dirt, then some old Pokémon bones, then more crap-"

"Yeah, dude, I get it," Brendan interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Got carried away there. Now where was I ... Oh yeah! Maxie threatened his members that if they quit, he would kill their family members or their Pokémon. Burn down their houses. Bring out the pitchforks and yada yada yada. At first, members didn't seemed fazed by it, but Maxie, being the dirty yet honorable man that he is, kept his word. It kept the members in line that's for sure. But Maxie, he needed more recruits! So he went out and looked up some of the strongest trainers that he could get to 'join' his team. I'm one of those trainers. I didn't join because I wanted to like you, Brendan. I joined so I can protect my family." Chris finally sighed, fiddling with his chain wallet.

The white-haired trainer was out of words, quite different from his usual self. "That's ... uh-"

"It's okay," Chris interrupted. "I still have hope that somehow I can quit or Maxie will somehow ... die or get buried under all that crap. But yes, you joined on your own free will huh, Brendan? Good. Good for you," the trainer snorted.

"I think I did. I think I joined on my own free will anyway," Brendan admitted, scratching his head.

Chris eyed him, puzzled, "You think you did? What did he say to you?"

Brendan thought for a minute. "He said ... he said that he wanted to make the world half land, and half sea like I said before."

"Oh, he tricked you huh?" Chris laughed again mockingly. "Easy way to get recruits."

"I'll just quit now that I know the truth!" Brendan practically shouted if not for the warning glares the other boy trainer gave him.

"It's too late for that now," he whispered grimly. "Too late."

"But why?" Brendan exclaimed angrily

"Once you're in, you can never get out. Not until he's gone, buried under all that crap ..." Chris trailed off, a thoughtful look in his eye.

"You just love those crap metaphors don't you?" Brendan asked, laughing.

"Yes. I find them quite catchy actually," Chris confessed. "But going back on topic, he knows who you are-"

"Who? Ho-Oh?"

"Stop trying to put humor into this! If you don't I'll ... bury you under all that crap I've been talking about!"

"Sorry."

"Anyway, _Maxie _knows everyone that you know most likely, and he'll use this to his advantage. Birch, words of advice: Don't listen to _everything _Maxie says. Follow his orders, but don't become him. Obey him enough to keep him happy, but don't do a lot to make him _too_ happy," Chris advised, his hands clutching the sides of the table for dear life.

"Like I ever want to become him," Brendan scoffed, snorting.

"You never know. I've had friends that have said that and they turned into little Maxie wanna-bes." Chris rolled his eyes. "There are signs to it though. Were you been at the big battle at Mount Chimney against all those 'Water Lovers?'"

"Yeah, of course," Brendan answered. "Battled a few Aqua Admins myself."

"Did it seem like you wanted to do anything to win?" Chris questioned. "Anything? Even if it meant, well, seriously hurting a Pokémon?"

"Of course n-" Brendan paused. "It wasn't my fault! My opponent almost pushed my Pokémon into the lava pit and it made me angry!"

"Uh huh," Chris said, unsure. "I'll just leave it at that then." He frowned. "Anyway, Birch, just don't go mad with power if you know what I mean. People get killed out of anger, hatred, and ignorance. People get hurt."

"I don't understand what you mean by that ..." Brendan trailed off.

Chris noticed May coming back, a soda can clutched in hand. "We'll leave it at that for now, kid."

"Why are you calling me kid. We're about the same age."

"Shut up."

May sat down next to Brendan and took her sip of her soda. "Damn machine wouldn't take my money until after the, like, two hundredth time! Isn't that great?" she asked sarcastically, taking another sip. "So what have you two been talking about when I was gone?"

"Crap," Brendan said with a shrug, giving Chris a warning glance. "You know, Pokémon strategies, the usual old crap."

Chris nodded in agreement. "Yes, crap. Underneath the fifty feet of dirt."

"Uh huh." May eyed Chris weirdly as he began to drum his fingers on the table. "Anyway, Chris. I know you have a Charizard. What other Pokémon do you have?"

Chris's eyes sparked up. "Oh! Well I have a Flareon, a Typhlosion, a Blaziken, an Arcanine, a Ninetails, and you already know I have a Charizard. Plus I have a Magmar, a Houndoom, a Camperupt, and others back in storage."

"Oh, so you like fire types huh?" May asked curiously.

"You can say that." Chris looked up at the corner of his eye and whistled innocently.

"Hey, why don't you and Brendan battle!" May suggested, hopping out of her seat. "You two seemed at the same strength level-"

"Me? The same as him?" Brendan laughed, pointing toward the other boy trainer. "Muddy can kick his butt if I did battle him anyway."

"What's a Muddy?" Chris asked, scratching his head.

"He's my Swampert, and one of the strongest!" Brendan said confidently, puffing out his chest. "He can wipe out all six of your fire type Pokémon with his water and ground type attacks! And even if he doesn't, I've still got a strong team that isn't greatly effected by fire type attacks!"

"Is that so then?" Chris stood up, placing both hands on the table. He glared at Brendan through his crimson-colored eyes. "We'll see about that! A four-on-four battle, no time limit, and no switching Pokémon. Outside! Right now!"

Brendan raised an eyebrow, surprised by his "teammate's" sudden firmness. "Alright then!" the trainer simpered as he stood up. "Let's do it! But I'm not going easy on you because you're my friend!"

Chris couldn't help but snort. "Same here, kid, same here."

"You know, I'm _still_ probably a few months younger than you."

"Whatever."

The three trainers walked out the clear glass doors of the Pokémon Center and into the dark, the chilly night air nipping at their skin. Chris and Brendan walked to the two different sides of the town square and sharply turned around as if in a duel. Other trainers from inside the Pokémon Center rushed outside to watch the battle, anxious to watch the 'famous' Brendan Birch battle.

"Wow, this is going to be awesome!" a kid cried. "Brendan Birch battling in real life!"

"Who is he facing?" other kid asked.

"Uh, some kid with spiky red and black hair."

Chris shook his head as he enlarged a Pokéball. "I'm sure kids would know my name too if I appeared on the Pokémon Report twenty-four seven."

"But you don't," Brendan retorted, maximizing one of his own Pokéballs. "So shall you start, or shall I?

"Losers first!"

"Okay, go for it then!"

Chris frowned but nevertheless threw a Pokéball onto the battlefield. "Let's go, Ember!" He released a fiery Flareon, her orange and yellow fur ruffling in the wind.

"I choose you, Sapphire!" He threw the Pokéball into one of the Petalburg ponds and in a flash of white light, a small whale Pokémon appeared, her beacon on her head sparking with electricity.

"Hmm, starting with a water type huh?" Chris observed. "Do you think I'm that strong?"

"Yes – I mean no!" Brendan cried, not wanting to compliment his trainer by telling him the truth.

Chris just laughed. "Ember, start things off with Flamethrower!"

"Retaliated with Water Gun, Sapphire!" Brendan countered.

The two Pokemon inhaled deeply and shot out two jets, one of water, the other of fire. The Flamethrower lighted the field for a minute before being extinguishing in Sapphire's Water Gun, clouds of smoke forming from the two attacks colliding. Ember quickly jumped out of the way to not get hit by the water herself.

"Not bad, Birch. Not bad at all," Chris remarked, rubbing his chin. "But even water types can't beat my Ember! Use Fire Spin around the pond, Ember!"

The Flareon combusted in her own red and orange flames before blowing a powerful jet of fire that configured itself into a tornado around the pond. Sapphire began to swim back and forth around the pond, dazed by the flames and the billowing gray smoke.

"Sapphire, use Surf on the Fire Spin to extinguish its flames!" Brendan shouted directions.

Though the smoke was thick, you could see Sapphire's beacon glowing a dark blue and a tidal wave went overhead the Fire Spin. It crashed down, abolishing Ember's attack. The wave continued its way towards the Flareon, the Surf blowing her off her feet and into a picket fence.

Chris watched the remains of the Surf touch the tips of his shoes. "Well, you got rid of the Fire Spin, let's see how you deal with this! Ember, Fire Blast!"

Ember hopped back onto her feet and charged toward the Petalburg pond. Jumping in the air, she inhaled and blew out one of the most powerful Fire attack in the Pokémon World. The flames took into a rather large star-shape, aiming at Sapphire. Sapphire, still blinded from the smoke and embers from the previous fire attack, didn't see the Fire Blast coming toward her.

"No, Sapphire!" Brendan shouted. "Duck down, duck down!"

Too late; the Fire Blast engulfed the small whale in its inferno. The lake looked like it was on fire, making shadows dance and causing embers to spark out, creating a dazzling yet horrific show in Brendan's eyes.

"Sapphire is unable to battle!" May raised her right hand, the side Chris was battling on. "Ember is the winner!"

"Sapphire, return!" Brendan recalled his Pokémon when the Fire Blast died down, leaving only a charcoal-black Lantern. "You did great, thanks!"

"Dang, even though Sapphire is a water type, she couldn't take the heat ... literally!" May gasped over the cheers of the other trainers.

"You go, Chris!"

"Yeah! Burn that Birch to a crisp!"

"How fast they change sides." Chris shook his head. "It looks like I took your 'fans,' Brendan."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll get them back later!" Brendan cried triumphantly, raising an enlarged Pokéball into the air after switching Pokéballs. "Go Sirius! Hit 'em with Faint Attack!"

A confident looking Mightyena appeared in a blaze of white light, his teeth bared, his yellow and red eyes glowing in the street lights. In front of everyone's eyes, he disappeared into thin air for a few moments before reappearing behind the unsuspicious Flareon. He tackled from behind, sending Ember flying into a wall, causing the plaster to crack under the pressure.

"Hang in there, Ember, and use Quick Attack!" Chris cheered his Pokémon on.

Ember quickly hopped back onto her feet before her feet even touched the floor. She sped toward the alert Mightyena and rammed her head at his back, causing Sirius to tumble back. He too though landed back on his feet after he tumbled three times, flames burning in his eyes.

"Don't let them push you around, Sirius!" Brendan rooted. "Use Crunch now!"

The Bite Pokemon hastened toward the Flame Pokémon and bit down on her tail, causing sharp cries of pain out of her. Ember tried swinging her tail around but failed because of all of Sirius's weight.

"While you're at close range, Ember!" Chris commanded. "Flamethrower!"

Ember turned her head and blew red-orange flames at Sirius's head, causing him to let go of her tail to howl in anguish. He rolled onto the floor to extinguish the gray smoke coming out from his back.

"Wow, Sirius is on fire! Literally!" May cried out above the other trainer's ooh's and ah's.

"Must you take everything literally!" Brendan yelled to the sidelines.

"Yeah," May replied weakly.

"Ember, Quick Attack again!" Chris directed.

Ember sprinted toward the fallen Mightyena and plunged into him, making him skid on his side a few feet. Sirius, being the stubborn Pokémon that he is, slowly got back onto his four feet, looking like he was about to fall back down sometime soon.

"Hang in there, Sirius!" Brendan cried worriedly. "Use Take Down now!"

Sirius was tired but still obeyed orders. He half sprinted, half walked, towards the Flame Pokémon, his eyes piercing into her own. With a mighty push from his two back legs, he jumped into the air and landed onto the back of Ember, knocking her over in the process. The Bite Pokémon pushed her into the ground with all four paws before jumping back into the air, a fallen and defeated Flareon behind him.

"Ember is unable to battle!" May raised her left hand. "Sirius is the winner!"

"Alright, Sirius!" Brendan jumped a few feet in the air, and Sirius gave a tired, little grin, panting from exhaustion.

"Return, Ember!" Chris returned his Pokémon with a smile. "You did a great job, girl. You deserve a good rest!"

"Alright, Brendan! Woot!" a trainer cheered. "You can totally beat this guy now!"

"Yay, Brendan! You rock!" another one cried.

"Looks like I got my fans back," Brendan laughed, smirking.

Chris just shook his head. "Like I want fans that are only fans of people that win anyway." He switched Pokéballs on his belt. Raising an enlarged Pokéball to his lips, he threw it onto the battlefield. "You're up, Torch!" He released a Blaziken, his claws aflame with blue and white fire. "Torch, Fire Punch!"

Torch roared a mighty battle cry and dashed toward the weary Mightyena, only concentrating all of his fire power on his right claw. With a mighty swoop, he punched Sirius's head, causing a sickening cracking sound. Sirius went flying skyward and would have continued for a few more feet if the Blaziken didn't 'graciously' slash him down. Sirius landed with an ungraceful thump, slash marks and burn marks all over his body.

"Ah! Sirius, return!" Brendan called his Pokémon back, concerned. "Whoa ... that was ... scary. Good job though, Sirius! I'm proud of you! I'll get you to a Pokémon Center as soon as I beat this jerk!"

"I can hear you you know!" Chris shouted over the cries of the other trainers.

"My point exactly!" Brendan said in a sing song voice as he switched Pokéballs, throwing one onto the battlefield. "Now try this one! Go, Kadabra! Psybeam now!"

Kadabra twirled his psychic tools in his hands, creating a rainbow colored beam. The beam rushed toward Torch's side of the field, smacking him in the face despite the fact that he is over six feet. The Raging Fire Pokémon lost his balance and fell over awkwardly before quickly hopping back onto his feet as if nothing happened.

"Slick Blaziken you got there, acting like that attack was nothing big," Brendan murmured. "But that's not going to get you anything! Kadabra, Future Sight!"

The red star on Kadabra's forehead began to glow a violent shade of red, causing a disturbing and unnatural wind to blow across the battlefield.

"Things are getting tense," May muttered, an unsure smile etched on her face.

"Be on your guard, Torch," Chris warned. He took in a deep breath before continuing. "Use Focus Energy, and then use Fire Punch!"

Torch closed his eyes and relaxed, his muscles relaxing, his arms hanging loose at his sides. His body began to glow with golden light; he absorbed the light quickly. The golden light died down and the Raging Fire Pokemon opened his eyes, his claws up in blue and white flames. With a tremendous battle cry, he rushed toward the Psi Pokémon, his claws upraised. Torch swung at him with his two fiery claws but missed.

"What the hell!" Chris shouted angrily.

"Kadabra teleported like a bat out of hell ... literally!" May murmured.

"Stop it!" Brendan covered his ears. "I want no more talk of crap and literal things anymore!"

Kadabra reappeared behind the Blaziken. With another twirl of his spoons, he captured Torch in a brilliant, purple light. The Psi Pokémon swung his arms upward, causing Torch to rise with it. Then, swiftly, Kadabra swung his arms down, causing the Raging Fire Pokémon to go down hard along with it. Kadabra released his cerebral grip on the Blaziken, leaving him to his own pain and agony.

"Torch!" Chris yelled. "Are you alright?"

Torch used his two upper claws to climb out of the crater he created. He got back onto his feet and gave Chris a shaky smile and a thumbs-up, signs that he was still willing to fight.

"Alright then!" Chris cheered, pumping one arm into the air. "Use Blaze Ki-" A sudden breeze caught him off guard, interrupting his instructions. "Uh oh ..." he remarked, his fists clenched at his sides. "The Future Sight."

All the trainers turned their heads to where the unexpected gusts were coming from. Tension filled the air. Kadabra couldn't help but smirk at the face his opponent made. A slight whooshing noise filled the battlefield and beams of blue light came rushing out from behind buildings, trees, and bushes. The Blaziken tried his best to dodge the beams but after the fifth one, he passed out, too tired too care anymore. A beam hit him straight in the stomach and he toppled over like a fallen domino, smacking straight into the Pokémon Center, causing the glass doors to crack.

"Crap!" Chris cussed. "Torch, return!" He recalled his Pokémon in a familiar beam of red light. "You were great; you deserve a nice rest."

"More of the crap metaphors, Chris?" Brendan chortled, smirking. "I'm not paying to get that door replaced by the way, Conifer."

"Yes, more of the crap metaphors, and I'm not paying for the door either!" Chris switched Pokéballs on his belt and enlarged another, "Let's get 'em, Bunsen!" With a flick of his wrist, the Pokéball flew out onto the field and burst open, revealing a Typhlosion, orange-reddish flames flaring up at his back. "Start things off with Flame Wheel!" he commanded.

Bunsen bellowed a mighty battle cry before charging down towards the Psi Pokemon, the flames on his back taking over his body. He jumped up into the air and collided with Kadabra, the orange and red flames burning both of them. Kadabra tried to stay on his two feet but failed as he stumbled backwards and fell because of Bunsen's weight. The Volcano Pokémon hopped back onto his feet and stepped on the Psi Pokémon's chest, still engulfing both the Kadabra and him in his flames. A sickening cracking sound was heard, causing all the trainers to wince and cover their ears in disgust.

"Hey stop it!" Brendan shouted worriedly. "Return!" He called back his Pokémon before it got hurt even more. "You did a great job, Kadabra; now take a nice, long break."

"Ew, Kadabra got 'punched' in the gut ... literal-"

"We know, May," Brendan sighed.

"I told you that you can't switch!" Chris yelled over the cheers of the other trainers.

Brendan shrugged. "Fine, so I won't recall on Kadabra. Big deal!" The white-haired trainer replaced Kadabra's Pokéball with his last Pokémon of the battle. "Okay then. Now the battle really starts!" He smirked. "Go, Muddy!" He threw the Pokéball onto the battlefield, and in a flash of light, the tall and stupid Swampert appeared, a rather sleepy look on his face.

"That's your 'pride and joy,' Birch?" Chris stifled his laughter. "That sleepy-looking thing called a Swampert?" He snorted. "Well, this battle is as good as won then!"

"Do you not watch the Pokémon Report?" Brendan asked bewildered. "My Muddy kicks those two losers' butts practically every chance he gets."

"I apparently missed those episodes then," Chris retorted. "Okay, Bunsen. Use Swift!"

Bunsen nodded and lowered his head. The flames on his back released several stars, rocketing at Muddy at a breakneck speed. Muddy use his arms to block himself, skidding back a few feet but not getting hurt as badly as he should have been.

"Muddy, use Take Down now!" Brendan directed quickly.

Muddy ran swiftly toward the Volcano Pokémon with his head lowered, ready to charge him down. He rammed his head into his stomach. The Typhlosion tumbled backward and landed on his back. For safe measure though, The Mud Fish Pokémon practically body slammed him, causing Bunsen to howl out in agony.

"Ha! Beat that, Chris!" Brendan stated, cheering.

"Your Muddy _is_ stupider than he looks! But then again, Pokémon take after their trainer!" Chris remarked, smirking. "Flare up the flames on your back, Bunsen! Bring it to the highest notch you can!"

"No!"

Bunsen mustered up the fire power in his body to his back side despite the fact he had eighty kilograms of Swampert on him. Smoke began to seep out from in between Muddy's stomach and Bunsen's back. The Mud Fish Pokémon jumped off of the Typhlosion, using his Water Gun to cool down his tummy. Bunsen used his arms to push himself off the ground, the flames on his back a hot blue and white.

Chris laughed. "Well, Muddy's plan backfired if you pardon the pun."

"Maybe," Brendan paused. "Maybe not."

Muddy stepped on the Volcano Pokémon's back again before he could fully rise off the ground. With a slight smirk on his face, he blew a icy cold jet of water at Bunsen's back, causing the Typhlosion to thundered in pain and dousing the blue and white flames on his back in a thick cloud of gray smoke.

"Are you sure Muddy is the idiot now?" Brendan simpered. "He did, after all, think of a plan BY HIMSELF to burn off Bunsen's fuel literally!" He slapped his forehead. "Great, May. Now you got me using that damn 'literally' word too!"

"Alright! My work here is done! Now I can rest in peace," May giggled.

Bunsen was finally able to get off the ground. He shook himself dry and tried to flare the flames on his back again but failed. His fur was just too wet.

"Looks like were going to have to resort to physical attack then!" Chris stated. "Bunsen, Quick Attack now!"

The Typhlosion took off at an incredible speed and rammed his head into the Swampert's body, causing both of them to fall down onto the ground again, this time Bunsen on top. Muddy quickly retaliated by using Water Gun to get the Volcano Pokémon off of him and then used Mud Shot to send Bunsen flying into a brick wall. A loose brick fell off from the top of the wall, hitting Bunsen on the head. Bunsen swirled in a circle a bit before plunging towards the ground, knocked out.

"Bunsen is unable to battle!" May raised her left hand. "Muddy is the winner!"

This caused one side of the fans to cheer and the other side to boo.

"Hmm, looks like they split up." Chris shook his head, smiling. "I'm cool with it especially since I didn't appear on the television." He glared at Brendan

"Don't hate because I'm more famous that you are!" Brendan raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Just bring out your next Pokémon already!"

"Fine," Chris agreed. "Time to come out, Inferno!" He threw a Pokéball onto the battlefield and in a burst of light, a determined looking Arcanine appeared. The Legendary Pokémon roared, intimating his opponent. Muddy stepped back a few steps, alarmed. "Inferno, Flamethrower now!"

Inferno howled in blew out a steady stream of flames toward Muddy. The Swampert quickly dug underground, barely dodging the flames. He reappeared underneath the Arcanine, sending him flying skyward.

"While you have the chance, Muddy, Water Gun!" Brendan ordered.

The Mud Fish Pokémon jumped out of his hole and sent out a jet of icy cold water from his mouth, blasting the Legendary Pokémon even higher.

"Hang in there, Inferno, and use Take Down now!" Chris commanded.

Inferno, who's eyes were closed shut, quickly opened them and aimed at the Swampert. He began to fall at a rapid pace, gaining power and velocity behind his fall. He collided into Muddy with a sharp bark, causing Muddy to catch him and fall over, creating a rather large crater.

"While he's off guard, Inferno, Flame Wheel!"

"Hurry, Muddy! Protect!"

Inferno was standing on all fours on Muddy's stomach as he engulfed the both of them in red hot flames. Muddy was very fortunate though as he put up a golden shield, protecting him from the fire.

"Use Flamethrower now!" Chris shouted.

"Quickly retaliate with Water Gun!" Brendan countered.

Both Pokémon inhaled deeply and shot out two attacks, one of fire, one of water. Water overcame the Fire, also smacking the Arcanine in the face. The attack shot him skyward again and Muddy took this opportunity to use his Iron Tail attack. With an angry look plastered on his face, he whacked Inferno hard across the back, causing him to buckle under the weight.

"Good job, Muddy!" Brendan cheered.

"Inferno!" Chris cried, concerned.

Inferno tried to get back onto his feet but collapsed again, blacked-out.

"Inferno is unable to battle!" May cried out above the roars and shouts of the other trainers. "Brendan is the winner!"

"Inferno, return," Chris said with a sigh. "You did great, pal; you deserve a nice rest." He walked across the battlefield to congratulate Brendan on a job well done ... sort of. "You loser! You just _had_ to use a water Pokémon!" He laughed as the crowds began to die down.

"Hey, you looked pretty tough to begin with I must admit!" Brendan confessed as he returned Muddy to his Pokéball. He shook Chris's outstretched hand. "But I'll be ready to kick your butt AGAIN without using any water type moves next time!"

"Ha, in your dreams, Birch!"

"Ha, in _your_ dreams, Conifer!"

"Well, this is a crappy ending ... literally."

"Shut up, May."

* * *

Yeah, Chris is my own OT. I know this chapter sounds kind of side track-ish but it plays an important role later on when the Team Magma plots get thicker.

So did you get the inside joke yet? Probably not but I'll explain here. I thought this chapter was literally crap. So I made May say 'literally' all the time and Chris keep referring to these 'Crap' jokes. Thanks for your time lol.

Muddy: You know, you're literally crap too, Breezy.

Aw, thanks.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	32. Born Ready

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokémon.

Ah, did you guys enjoy the last chapter with Muddy?

Muddy: I did!

Flare: Well duh. It was based on you pretty much. And the entire Skittles/Sirius/Midnight love triangle.

Muddy: Hey, whatever happened to Thunderbolt?

Flare: That's a good question, Skittles? Care to answer that one?

Skittles: . . . . .

Muddy: No, she's too depressed.

Sirius: Hey, guys!

Flare: Boo! It's the heart-breaker!

Muddy: Let's throw rotten tomatoes at him!

Flare: (throws a tomato up in the air) Way ahead of you, buddy!

Sirius: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's all take deep breaths and count to three!

Muddy: Why should we listen to you! Traitor!

Sirius: What? It's not like I knew that Skittles liked me! (whispers) But you like Skittles don't you, Muddy?

Muddy: (ignores Sirius' comment) But what about during the Valentine's day chapter where you got all pissy at me because I "interrupted Skittles moment of truth?"

Sirius: ... STOP LOOKING AT ME AND START THE STORY ALREADY!

* * *

**Born Ready**

**

* * *

**

The day after Chris Conifer left town, Norman came back early from his trip. With confidence inside her, May challenged her dad and soon acquired her fifth badge.

Brendan rolled his eyes, ignoring his companion's rants of winning against her father. Sure, he understood the rule of bragging rights, but after repeating the same thing for the past thirty minutes, that's going WAY past the line.

"May, don't you think your overdoing it a bit?" the boy trainer asked in the middle of May's chant. "I think everyone in the whole Hoenn Region knows that you've won against Norman."

"But I won against Norman, my dad, the one who taught me everything I know about Pokémon!" May argued, beaming all the same. "I'm sure if my dad was your dad and you won against him, you would be cheering like I am right now!" And with that, May began her cheer again. "I won against my da-ad! I won against my da-ad!"

Brendan stopped in his tracks, holding out his arm to stop May too. "May? Where's the next gym?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Um, I'm not sure actually," May answered. "I won against my da-ad! I won against my da-ad!"

Brendan rolled his eyes again. "But now we don't even know where were going!"

"So?" May asked, her eyes filled with confusion. "I won against my da-ad!"

"Who CARES anymore that you've won!" Brendan yelled, causing May to shut up. "We're already behind schedule! We should already have our seventh badge by now and we're only on our fifth! We can't waste anymore time wandering around the continent looking for the next gym! The Pokémon League is in a few months, and if we don't hurry, we'll never get all the requirements for it!"

"Yeah, but I've won against my da-"

"SHUT UP!" Brendan shouted, covering his ears. "That song is driving me crazy!"

May bit her lip and took Brendan's hands off his ears. "What is your problem today anyway?"

Brendan sighed and dropped his arms back to his sides. He fingered the strap on his backpack. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Truth was he wasn't fine. The secrets behind Team Magma was making his head spin. Were the things that Chris said really true? Did Maxie lied to him to get what he wanted? Did Maxie actually threaten people to join his team? Was it true that once you were in, you could never come out?

The white-haired trainer looked down at the ground, trying to ignore the worried glances the girl trainer was giving him. "We better check the PokéNav for the next gym," he muttered, reaching for the device.

"Um, okay," May said, also reaching for her PokéNav. She pressed the button that opened it and clicked the map option. "Well, it says that the next gym is in Fortree," she announced, clipping her PokéNav back in her belt.

"Fortree is famous for its tree house-like homes and the elegant mistress of Flying types, Wiona," Brendan stated, still searching on his PokéNav. "Everyone that lives in Fortree has to be strong and fit in order to get in and out of their houses which are built in or on trees. That's crazy, living in a place where you're not on the ground!" He clipped the device back onto his pants.

"Fortree is also a far distance away," May added, putting her hands behind her head. "We can't get there from Petalburg. We'll have to use the Rusturf tunnel that we helped re-open again, go through Veranturf, then surf from the outskirts of Mauville to the other side of Hoenn. Plus, it's quite a long walk from there to Fortree."

"I'm game!" Brendan announced, smirking as they entered the Petalburg Forest. "Traveling around for awhile with no cities in the way and training. And being with you of course." He winked at May.

May snapped her fingers. "Dang, I forgot I would still be with you! Oh well. A girl can't have everything she wants right?"

"Should I feel insulted by that comment?"

"If you want to be."

Quickly enough, the two trainers exited the forest and walked across the bridge to Rustboro.

"Hey, May?" Brendan fiddled with an empty Pokéball, nervous. "From here on out, everything is going to be different."

May eyed the white-haired trainer, puzzled. "What do you mean? What do you mean things are going to be different? I don't underst- "A hand slipped into her own, and May's heart skipped a beat. "Brendan, I-"

"What I mean is that things are going to be different," he whispered, staring straight into May's sapphire-colored eyes. The words Chris told him kept echoing in his head. "Dangerous even. Just want you to promise me something."

"More promises?" May laughed a little bit, creating a small smile on Brendan's face. "And what do I promise to do or not to do this time?"

"Promise me that you'll ... you'll never ... uh-"

"I'll never what?"

"Promise me that you'll never leave me," Brendan said quietly, staring down at the floorboards of the bridge. "No matter how stupid I am, no matter how mad you get at me sometimes. Just don't ... go."

May lifted Brendan's head with her other hand and stared into his eyes too. "Of course I'm not going to leave you!" she laughed gently. "Yes, you can be stupid sometimes, and yes, you may get me mad, but you can get on ALL my nerves, and I wouldn't even think about leaving you. Do you not know how much hope you give me by just standing there, cheering me on?"

"But how?" the white-haired trainer asked, amazed.

"Because with you by side, anything is possible," the girl trainer answered.

"Oh, not that corny line again," Brendan joked.

"Yes, that corny line again," May mocked playfully, still staring into Brendan's eyes. "I just realized, your eyes are quite pretty," she whispered softly.

Brendan smiled slightly, squeezing May's hand gently. Realizing that he was still holding the girl trainer's hand, he quickly let go. "Er, sorry." He blushed, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"It's all right." May still felt Brendan's warmth lingering on her hand. "Shall we go now?"

"Yeah." Brendan nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

_I don't get Brendan Birch sometimes_, May thought as the two trainers walked off the bridge and into the city. She stared at the boy trainer. _One day he's cocky, the other day he's nice, then the next, he's all quiet. I hope he's okay. It seems as though he has a lot on his mind._

_What I really hate is that May told me not to join Team Magma,_ Brendan thought angrily in his head. _But I didn't listen. I told her she's just too hyped up about joining Team Aqua and that she doesn't know what she's thinking. Truth is, she's right. Damn, I should have listened! I heard her, but I didn't get what she was saying! But now I do, and it's too late to back out now._

The boy trainer leaned on a brick wall after his companion told him that she was going inside to get some more dolls. The wind gently blew through his hair as Brendan glared into the distance, his eyes cold and steel-like.

_If I'm lucky,_ he thought,_ Maxie won't need me anymore for awhile. That was, I won't have to face Team Aqua ... or May again._ He remember the last battle between him and the girl trainer, and he shuddered. How could he act like that? Was he turning into another Maxie? Was he losing control?

"Impossible," he scoffed. "I'm not turning into him!"

_I've had friends that said that they weren't going to turn into Maxie but now, their little Maxie wanna-bes!_ Chris's words kept repeating themselves in Brendan's head.

"Make the voices stop!" he yelled, dropping onto his knees and clutching his head.

"Brendan, what's wrong?" May exited the store, dropped her bags and kneeled down next to Brendan. She rubbed his back. "Hey, are you alright? You're scaring me."

Brendan sighed and looked back up into worried eyes of May. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking. Thanks though."

"Thinking hard again, B Boy?" May joked. "I told you not to! You'll get hurt!"

"Haha." Brendan smirked and got back onto his feet, May following suit. "So what Pokédolls did you get?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "Another Torchic?"

"No!" May replied quickly, grabbing her bag. "Well, yeah, but this one is for my room! I got a Mudkip doll too! I thought it would be nice if we have little shrines for Flare and Muddy."

Brendan paused.

"Cool, I get a shrine!"

"Yeah, I knew Muddy was going to pipe up sooner or later." Brendan laughed as May began to stuff her two new dolls in her fanny pack. "Anyway, ready to go or do we need to stop somewhere else too?"

"Nope, I'm good!" May answered happily as the two trainers began to walk down the road to the Rusturf tunnel. "The last time we were here we-" She stopped in the middle of her sentence. "We fought."

"Yeah," Brendan said quietly. "Yeah, I remember."

"What did we fight about anyway?"

"I think you were jealous when I saw some girls, and you got all mad. Or was that before? Yeah, it was before. But yeah, still."

"Oh, I remember that. I'm not sure why I got mad about that. You have every right to flirt with another girl. It's not like we're. . . dating or anything." May adjusted the bandanna on her head. "Us dating. That's a riot isn't it?"

Brendan nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I can never picture us together."

"And we're best friends! Wouldn't it be weird if we were together?"

"Yup!"

"Yeah," the two trainers said in unison and they entered the Rusturf Tunnel. They then began to walk in silence, watching every now and then a passing Whismur or a Zubat. They soon exited the cave and entered the peaceful town of Veranturf. But they too quickly passed the town and walked straight down the path toward Mauville.

"I can't stand the silence!" May shouted. "Talk, Brendan!"

"Yes, my mistress!" he joked. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Nothing, you?"

"Ditto."

"Good then," May muttered under her breath as they entered Mauville. "At least it passed time. We're already at Mauville!"

"Yes, May. I can see that." Brendan rolled his eyes.

"Want me to sing my song again?"

"No."

"Then shut up," May stated perkily, smiling. "Oh! Hi, Wattson!" She noticed the gym leader of Mauville up ahead, his bald head gleaming in the light and his finely kept beard an odd sight against the packs of trainers passing him by. "Haven't seen you ever since we battled you a few weeks ago!"

Wattson laughed a hearty laugh. "Good to see you guys again! Where are you guys headed?"

"Over to Fortree!" Brendan answered. "We just beat Norman for our fifth badge, and our Pokémon just learned the Surf HM."

"You guys learned Surf, ay?" Wattson said. "Then would you two mind doing an old man a favor before heading off to Fortree?"

"Sure, Wattson. What is it?" May asked politely.

Wattson handed Brendan a card key. "I want you two to surf south near the bike route toward New Mauville. When you get there, used this key to open the door and go to the generator in the back of New Mauville. Turn it off."

"The generator?" May inquired.

"Yeah. The generator."

"And why do we have to turn if off?" Brendan questioned, pocketing his hands.

"The generator is getting overheated, effecting this Mauville," Wattson answered. "I would do it myself but I don't have a water Pokémon seeing as I am the electric gym leader of Hoenn. So will you please do this for me?"

"Of course!" May answered happily, jumping into the air. "We'll do it right away and then go to Fortree!"

"Thanks, kids!" Wattson smiled. "I'll be here till you get back!"

"Now wait a minute!" Brendan stated. "Who said that I would go with-"

"Let's _go_, B Boy!" May dragged Brendan by his shirt sleeve towards the bike route. "See you in a bit, Wattson!"

"Good luck!" the gym leader replied, waving them good-bye.

May let go of Brendan as soon as they reached the entrance of the city. "Now all we have to do is surf south toward New Mauville and turn off the generator. Sounds easy enough. Going to let out Muddy anytime soon?"

"Wha?" Brendan scratched his head. "You're going too fast. Let out Muddy for what?"

"To surf! I didn't teach it to Hydro yet."

Brendan shook his head and enlarged Muddy's Pokéball. He threw it into the water. "Come on out, Muddy! We got to surf to New Mauville!" In a blast of white light, the ever clueless Swampert appeared, a smirk plastered on his face. The white-haired trainer jumped into the water, getting his clothes wet. He placed his backpack onto Muddy's back so his items wouldn't get wet. "Coming ... May?"

May jumped into the water wearing her two-piece bathing suit. She noticed Brendan's open-mouthed expression. "What?" she asked, placing her pack onto Muddy's back also. "I'm not getting my clothes wet too!"

Brendan rolled his eyes for the third time today and commanded Muddy to surf towards New Mauville. Muddy soon reached the underground city and helped the trainers onto solid ground.

"Good job, Muddy. Return!" Brendan recalled his Pokémon, his clothes dripping with water.

"Ha, I told you!" May laughed as she dried herself off and put her regular clothes back on.

"Won't your clothes still get wet with your bathing suit underneath it?" Brendan questioned, taking his shirt off and wringing it out.

"Yeah, but it won't be as wet as yours," May answered, replacing her hip pack around her waist.

Brendan slipped his shirt back over his head and glared at May playfully. He reached into his backpack and took out the card key, inserting it in the door. The door slowly creaked open.

"Well, who wants to go in first?" Brendan asked.

May didn't answer, too busy trying to dry herself off.

"Oh, please pick me! I want to go in first!" Brendan said sarcastically, raising his hand up in the air. He dropped it back down and pulled May in. "I guess we better start this way," he muttered out loud, pulling May down one hallway. "It's huge in here! Well you wouldn't know seeing as your head is bent down trying to dry your clothes."

"Wet clothes feel gross!" May's head shot up as she groaned. "Yuck!"

Brendan laughed and noticed switches on the floors. "What are these?" he murmured out loud, pressing onto one. Sounds of walls moving and electricity crackling was his answer.

"They probably switch the walls around," May answered, analyzing the room. "See? Like that hallway wasn't there until you pressed down on that switch. I guess it's to confuse thieves that want to come in here."

"But who would want to come in here?" Brendan asked, bewildered. "The only thing in this place are machines, computers, and boxes!"

"Okay, they probably have switches on the floor to confuse computer geeks." May rolled her eyes for once and walked down the hallway, Brendan quickly following suit. They turned the corner and found another wall. "Great," the girl trainer stated. She noticed a switch on the floor. "I wonder if we press," she pushed down on the switch, causing the wall in front of them to clear, "this one."

Both trainers walked down the long hallways, only to find another dead end. This time, Brendan found the switch.

"Hey, there's the switch!" Brendan pointed, rushing over to it. "And look! There's a Pokéball on it!" He picked it up but a pair of angry eyes appeared. "Uh oh," he muttered. "It's a Voltorb!"

"Voltorb!" the Voltorb cried, turning into a bright light, self-destructing himself.

"Wow!" Brendan fell over, charred black. "That was ... awesome."

May kneeled down and picked up Brendan. "Good job, Brendan! You helped blow up the wall!"

"Good for ... me!" Brendan coughed, black smoke coming out from his mouth. "Ugh."

May helped pull up the white-haired trainer and supported him as he walked. "Don't worry, B Boy. I'm sure the generator is around here somewhere.

(Thirty minutes later)

"Yeah, it's somewhere here!"

(A hour later)

"I know it's here somewhere!"

(A hour, twenty-two minutes, and forty-three seconds later)

"I'm sure its-"

"Oh shut up, May!" Brendan groaned, slapping his forehead. "You said the generator was around here one hour, twenty-three minutes and," he checked his watch, "four seconds ago! Let's give up! I'm sure Wattson won't get mad!" He leaned against a wall, tired of walking. "I bet ya that there are hundreds of computer geeks stuck in here somewhere."

"Oh, we can't give up!" May turned the opposite direction. "We told Wattson we would turn off the generator!"

"COME ON, May!" Brendan grumbled. "It's not like we-" He lost his footing and slipped on a hidden switch, causing the wall he was leaning on to turn around.

"It's not like were going to what?" May turned around but found her companion gone. "Brendan?"

Brendan fell forward, his eyes widening. He quickly got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "Is it me or is it hotter in this room?" he asked himself as he turned the corner. Sure enough, the overheated generator was there. "Now how do I turn this off?" he muttered under his breath. He noticed a red switch on the floor and he walked onto it, turning the generator off. "That was easy enough."

Brendan noticed a yellow stone on the floor next to the generator. "Is that a Thunderstone?" he asked himself again, walking over and picking the stone up. He examined it and pocketed the stone quickly in his pocket.

"Brendan!" May ran toward him and tackled him to the ground. "How did you ... teleport like that?"

"Teleport?" Brendan asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think I slipped onto a hidden switch and it led me here," he answered, pushing May off him. He stood up. "Don't worry, I turned off the generator. Now all we gotta do is get out. Looks like another hour for us!"

May shook her head. "Nope! When I was looking for you, I found an escape rope!" She climbed some empty boxes toward a window and pulled out a rope from her fanny pack. She pushed the window open and dropped the rope down. "You coming? Or would you rather stay in here?"

Brendan looked around. "Actually ..." He saw a few Voltorbs roll his way. "Yeah, let's get out of here!"

* * *

"Oh ho!" Wattson smiled. "Thanks, you two! I couldn't trust anyone else with this!" He handed the two trainers two TMs. "Thanks again! Now I have to go back to my gym! See you later!" The old general saluted them and walked back into his gym.

"Uh." The two trainers blinked twice but put the TM into their bags all the same.

Brendan walked over to the outskirts of Mauville where the ocean waves overlapped his shoes.

May quickly followed after him. "Are you ready, Brendan?"

Brendan smirked, the ocean breeze blowing through his snow-white hair. "Born ready."

* * *

I felt weird writing this chapter. Too serious. Kinda seemed Hoennshippy-ish too didn't it?

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	33. Showdown at the Weather Institute Part 1

**Disclaimer**: If I ever own Pokemon, remind me to tell you okay? But since I don't.

Sirius: It has now been a week since Muddy has quit his team and has he rejoined? Nope! Will he? Who knooooooows.

Skittles: Oh shut up, Sirius.

Sirius: Aaaawww. Is the kitty cat mad because her little Cute Charm didn't work for once?

Skittles: It should have, and I don't know why it didn't last chapter!

Flare: (shrugs)

Mudy: Allo!

Flare: Well aren't you in a good mood?

Muddy: I am!

Flare: Why?

Muddy: Because, Flare, my little chicken friend, life is good.

Flare: Little? Riiiight.

Muddy: (sighs happily)

Sirius: Dude! He's scaring me!

Skittles: (nods in agreement)

Flare: Yeah, why is your life so good anyway?

Muddy: Because I've got a plan! (waves blueprints in Sirius's face) Ha! Tell that to your new captain!

Sirius: ...

Flare: Oh joy.

Muddy: There's the sarcastic Flare I've known for awhile! High-five yourself!

Flare: Okay time to start the chapter!

* * *

**Showdown at the Weather Institute (Part I)**

**

* * *

**

It was a quiet Surf to the other side of Hoenn for Brendan and May. Hydro, May's newly caught Gyarados, sailed through the water smoothly, relaxing the two trainers before the hardship of travel again. They soon reached the other side of Hoenn only to be greeted by the sight of the news reporter, Gabby, and her cameraman, T.Y.

"Great, what are they doing here?" Brendan groaned as he watched May returned her Pokemon.

"Hey, you two!" T.Y. called out, turning his camera over to the boy and girl trainer. "I remember you guys! You we pretty tough the last time we battled!"

"Which was like what? Five days ago?" Brendan muttered under his breath. He looked at the news reporter and camera man. "Hey, guys. We've got to go to ... that place that May wants to go to. That ... berry master ... guy ... thing ... Pokemon ... Whatever."

"Oh, come on! You two must have enough time for a battle between us again!" Gabby complained in a cheerful voice. "Our viewers want to see more of you on the Pokemon Report, and we were happy to obliged! So make the viewers happy, Brendan and May!" Gabby tapped T.Y. in the shoulder to make him zoom in on the two trainers. "Wasn't your last word detrimental?"

May giggled. "Yeah."

"That is a good word, right?" the camera man asked.

Brendan held in his laughter. "Well what's the difference between good and bad today anyway?" The white-haired trainer held out a Pokeball arm's length away. "Fine. If you two want a battle so badly, we'll battle. Two-on-two still?"

T.Y. nodded. "Of course."

"Alright then!" May pushed her brown bangs away from her forehead. She un-clipped a Pokeball from her belt and kissed it for good luck. "Let's go-" she threw the Pokeball into the air, "-Thunderbolt!"

Brendan also threw the Pokeball in his hand into the air. "Go get 'em, Sirius!"

"Come on out, Loudred!" Gabby cried, releasing her Pokemon from his ball.

"Let's fight, Magnemite!" T.Y. cried, his eyes never leaving the camera.

In four blasts of white light, four Pokemon of different size and shape appeared, each one with a battle expression on his face.

May slapped her forehead. "Why did you send out Sirius?" she asked through a harsh whisper. "You know those two can't work together!" She whistled, causing Thunderbolt to stop sending angry sparks at Sirius.

"Well I didn't know you were sending out Thunderbolt!" Brendan snapped back, eyeing Sirius carefully. "We're just going to have to do our best with these two." He looked at Sirius straight in the eye. "Now, Sirius. You two have to work together to win this fight."

"Same thing for you, T.B.," May agreed.

The two rival Pokemon looked at each other and quickly turned the other way, his nose up in the air.

"Well, worth a shot." Brendan shrugged. "I'll start the battle! Sirius, dig underground now!"

Sirius howled a mighty battle cry and began to use all of his four paws to dig rapidly under the ground. After digging a well-sized hole, he jumped in it to tunnel underground, ready to pop back up when told.

"Now, Sirius!" Brendan commanded.

Sirius jumped back out, sending blasts of rock and dirt toward Magnemite as he tackled upward.

"Loudred, Hyper Voice now!" Gabby commanded, her microphone at ready for her to talk.

Loudred inhaled deep breaths and screeched out visible sound waves that pulsed back and forth between Brendan and May's Pokemon and the cliff walls. Sirius barked gruffly and stood his ground while Thunderbolt lost his footing and fell backward into the ocean.

"Haha, loser!" Sirius commented in a cheery voice, his face twisting into a small grin. "You fell in the water! You fell in the water!"

"Shut it, dog turd!" the Discharge Pokemon growled as he stepped out of the ocean and shook himself dry.

"While you're wet, Thunderbolt, use Spark on Loudred!" May commanded.

Thunderbolt charged at the now quiet Loudred, his body coursing with volts of electricity. He tackled Loudred to the ground with all his might, sending him flying across the battle field, electric power crackling throughout the Big Voice Pokemon's skin.

"Magnemite, Thunder Wave on the Mightyena now!" T.Y. ordered as he taped the fight excitedly.

The Magnemite gave out a battle cry in its metallic voice before twirling the positive and negative magnets on its sides; blue waves of electricity came out from its magnets. The electric power zipped over towards the Bite Pokemon at an amazing speed.

"Sirius, dodge!" Brendan cried out.

Sirius's eyes widened as the blue lighting raced towards him. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact when a flash of white light flashed. He could hear the crackling of electricity hitting something but the strange thing was it wasn't him. The Bite Pokemon opened his eyes and saw Thunderbolt's body absorbing the Thunder Wave attack.

"That's right!" May cheered. "Thunderbolt's special ability is Lightning Bolt! When in a double battle, it takes all the electric type moves so that way the ally won't get shocked and the Pokemon with the ability can absorb the attack!"

"While that was a confusing sentence," Brendan pointed out. "I see you point though."

"I could have handled it myself!" Sirius growled as he glared at the Magnemite and Loudred. "I'm not a weakling!"

"Oh yes, you sure did look strong with you cowering over there!" Thunderbolt retaliated, finishing the last of Magnemite's Thunder Wave. "Very strong indeed."

"Let's go, Sirius! Bite down on Loudred now!" Brendan instructed.

Sirius roared angrily and charged towards Loudred, wanting to prove to the Discharge Pokemon that he was no weakling. His sharp teeth dug into Loudred's purple skin, causing him to howl in agony.

Despite the fact that Gabby was just a television reporter, she did have some good strategies. "While he's there, Loudred! Stomp!"

"What?" Brendan cried in alarm.

"Stomp is a move where the Pokemon, well, stomps on the opponent," May said in a PokeDex type of voice. "Aren't I smart?"

"I KNOW WHAT THE MOVE IS!" Brendan roared. "Sirius, get out of there now!"

Sirius's stubbornness began to kick in. He was going to prove to Thunderbolt that he could handle an attack. Instead, the dog only dug his teeth deeper into Loudred's flesh. Loudred thundered angrily and raised a foot, bring it down heavily upon Sirius's head. The Bite Pokemon let go of Loudred stumbled around the battlefield, dizzy, hurt, and tired.

"Thunderbolt, finish Loudred off with Quick Attack!" May ordered.

Thunderbolt sprinted towards the weary Big Voice Pokemon and rammed into him, sending the Loudred backward into the ocean. Loudred reappeared back on the surface of the water, swirls in his eyes.

"Magnemite, Sonicboom now!" T.Y. ordered.

Magnemite cried out loud in its mechanical voice and sent out loud vibrations from its body, sending Thunderbolt and Sirius flying across the battlefield.

"Sirius, let's finish 'em off!" Brendan cheered. "Take Down now!"

Sirius howled and bolted towards Magnemite, his crimson-red eyes flashing dangerously. He crashed into the levitating Magnemite, bringing the both of them down with Sirius on top. Magnemite charged up its magnets and shocked the Bite Pokemon sending him whimpering back to his trainer. Magnemite used the last of his energy on that tiny spark and black-out.

"Return!" Gabby and T.Y. cried in unison as they returned their Pokemon.

"Good job, Sirius!" Brendan patted the top of Sirius's head. "Who's the good doggie? Who's the good doggie?"

"I am! I am!" Sirius said happily, wagging his tail and licking his trainer's face.

"Awesome job, T.B., you did great!" May congratulated her Pokemon by giving him a Red Pokeblock.

"My favorite!" Thunderbolt said cheerfully as he chewed the Red Pokeblock thoughtfully.

"Another excellent battle as always!" Gabby said through her microphone as she stared straight into the camera. "Did you all see that amazing Take Down that Brendan's Mightyena used or how May's Manectric used its special ability to absorb Magnemite's Thunder Wave attack to protect his friend? What an amazing sight to behold!" Gabby walked over to the trainer and pushed her microphone into Brendan's face. "So would you two like to be interviewed again? Will you please?"

"Sure ..." Brendan said unsurely.

"Good!" Gabby smiled. "Okay, describe the battle between us, but make it short and sweet! Go!"

Brendan blinked twice, startled by Gabby. "It was ..." His mind scraped up another word to use. "Cool?"

"Cool, huh?" Gabby returned her microphone to her face and faced the camera. "That's the perfect clincher. I'm sure this will make a great show as usual! Okay, thanks for watching everyone and tune into The Search for Trainers Pokemon Report very, very soon!" Gabby motioned with her arm to stop rolling. "That was great, you two. I hope we'll see you again!"

"Only you would wish that!" May said smiling as she shook Gabby's hand.

"We'll be seeing you!" T.Y. smiled as he waved the two trainers off. "Bye!"

"Bye!" The two trainers cried in unison.

"Cool?" May asked curiously. "Cool of all words? Why not 'child's play' or 'funny' or something like that? But cool? COOL?"

"Oh chill out, May. Keep it cool!" Brendan chuckled at his own joke.

"That's not funny."

"I know."

"Hey, you two!" A voice from ahead of them cried.

Brendan and May looked around, their senses sharp for any movement or sound.

Steven Stone, son of President Stone back in Rustboro, jumped over a ledge, surprising the two trainers. "Have we met before?" Steven asked, a small grin on his face, running a hand through his loose locks of brilliant, silver hair. His crystal blue eyes sparkled.

"I think we have actually," Brendan replied, scratching the back of his head. "Dewford Cave remind you of anyone you've met?"

"I've met two trainers in that cave one day," Steven said thoughtfully. "You two wouldn't be Brendan and May would you?"

"That's us!" May said cheerfully. "Hi! So I guess we have met haven't we?"

"Guess we have." Steven shrugged. "So how are you two on your journey? What Pokemon have you captured? How many badges? How does it feel to be trainers?" He laughed as Brendan and May began to looked at each other. "I guess it isn't for me to ask is it?"

"Eh." Brendan shrugged too.

"Well, I better go back to Mauville. See you two later!" Steven walked past the two trainers and waved goodbye.

"That was ... weird," Brendan rubbed the back of his neck as he pulled on May's sleeve. "We better get going, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess we should," May answered as she pulled her sleeve out of Brendan's grip.

The two Pokemon-Masters-In-The-Making walked along the grassy path, encountering several Linoone's and Electrike's ("If I knew that their were stronger Electrikes here, I would have waited to catch one!" May joked). The two soon reached a fork in the road, one heading toward the left, the other straight forward.

"Which one to take," Brendan murmured. He pointed to the path on the left. "I think this-"

"One," May said at the same time. She was pointing straight. "Let's go this way first, Brendan!"

"But that's obviously a dead-end!" Brendan groaned. "Why waste time there? We need to keep going and get our sixth badge before the League starts!"

"The League starts in a few more months. We have plenty of time!" May argued, pulling on Brendan's sleeve. "Come on, please? This way?"

"Fine. How about you go that way, and I go this way?" Brendan suggested, pulling his sleeve out of May's hand. "I just want to explore and maybe get some training in for awhile while you can go do whatever is over there, okay?"

"Okay then!" May said cheerfully, heading off down the path she chose. "See you in a hour!"

"Yeah, see ya," Brendan said quietly, watching the girl trainer bounce down the road. He reached out for a Pokeball on his belt. Maximizing it, he threw it into the air. "Come on out, Muddy!" In a flash of light, the ever-stupid Swampert appeared, a small smirk on his face. Brendan caught his Pokeball in his hand and placed it back on his belt. "Hey, pal. May went down somewhere, so in the meantime can you can keep me company?"

"Aw, do I have to?" Muddy whined. He noticed the glare coming from his trainer. "Kidding, sheesh!"

"Whatever, buddy. Let's go!" Both Pokemon and trainer walked down the path on the left only to see tall grass from a distance. "I'm sure it just looks tall from a distance," Brendan reassured both him and his Pokemon as they traveled closer to the grass.

Minutes later, the boy in his Pokemon were in the sea of thick grass that went way above their heads.

"Brendan?" Muddy looked around for his trainer in the grass, swiping in front of him in an attempt to come in contact with the trainer. "This is tall grass."

"Thanks for pointing that out, pal."

"No problem, B Boy!"

* * *

May quietly hummed to herself as she walked down the grassy path, smelling the sweet mixed aroma of pine trees and flowers. A new scent took over her nose, a really sweet smell that covered over the pine trees and flowers.

"What is that smell?" May asked herself, sniffing the air some more. "It smells so good!" The girl trainer walked further down the path when a white picket fence surrounding several berries trees caught her attention. "Wow! They're so beautiful!" May gasped in delight, clasping her hands together. She jumped over the fence and stared at the trees, "Amazing."

A chuckle from behind her caught her attention. "Looks like you're interested in the berry trees, huh, young lady?"

May turned around to come face to face with a smiling old man carrying a water pail in one hand and a handful of berries in the other. "I'm sorry if I trespassed on your property."

"It's quite alright. What is your name?"

"Oh, sorry! I'm May! May Maple!" May smiled.

"May Maple. Okay, I will remember that," the old man chuckled again. "So, do you plant trees over the Hoenn Region?"

May shook her head vigorously. "Yes, it all started when I visited the Pretty Petal Flower Shop back in Petalburg! They gave me a Wailmer pail and some berries to start off with, and now I have plenty of berries!"

"That's great!" The old man grinned. He handed May some berries. "Here, take some!"

"No, I couldn't!" May pushed the berries back into the old man's hand. "That's a Tamato Berry and a Kelpsy berry! Those are rare around this area I've heard! I couldn't take them!"

"Nonsense!" The old man pushed the berries back into May's hand. "Take them! I have more then plenty, and perhaps you could even plant these 'rare' berries some place else so everyone else can have some!"

"If you want me to have them." May carefully placed the berries in her hip pack. "Thanks!"

* * *

"Look! It's another freak!" Muddy pointed to a Bug Maniac who's face was in the ground. "Hi! I've got a plan!"

"Plan for what?" Brendan asked curiously.

"I'm ... I'm not sure. Look! Another freak!"

"Don't call them freaks, Muddy. It's rude," Brendan scolded. "Call them vagaries instead. That way they won't know what we're calling them."

"What are vagaries? Does it mean ... freak?"

"Whoa, you got it right. It does mean freak."

"Sometimes I even amazed myself."

"Good for you then."

"Ergo, concordedly, visa-v," Muddy stated, placing a paw on his chin. "You know what. I don't what the hell I'm saying. I just thought it'd make me sound cool."

"Good for you, pal."

* * *

"And that is a Sitrus berry," the old man explained, pointing to a tree with purple leaves where fat, yellow berries hung from. "They are quite like Oran berries except Sitrus berries heal more HP for your Pokemon."

"I see." May nodded as the two of them continued their way down the old man's berry tree garden. "What's this one then?" she asked, pointing to a tall brown tree with yellow berries coming out from the top.

"That would be a Hondew berry," the old man answered. "They don't do much for your Pokemon like how a Cheri berry cures paralysis or how a Pecha berry rids the Pokemon system of poison. It's used more for Pokeblocks."

"Like Pomegs and Grepas?"

"Exactly."

"Cool, I get it." May poked a pink Pecha berry and pulled it off. "So what about that berry over there?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Brendan and Muddy were wandering around the tall grass, looking for a way out. But like always, the two were unfortunate.

"Okay, Muddy. Here's what we'll do," Brendan began to suggest some ideas as he and Muddy went around another Bug Manic on the floor. "Lift me up onto your shoulders so that way I can get a better look above the grass. Got it?"

"Hmm, wha?" Muddy looked up and grinned at Brendan. "I'm sorry. Was I suppose to listen?"

Brendan slapped his forehead. "Never mind! Just lift me up on your shoulders!"

"Brendan gets a piggy back ride!" Muddy said cheerfully as he picked up Brendan and placed him on his shoulders. "Can you see?"

Brendan shook his head. "No, I think I'm going to have to stand on your shoulders, so hold me, okay?"

"Oh, is Bwendan fweeling sad because Mway is gone?" Muddy asked in a baby type of voice.

"MUDDY!"

"Kidding again! Sheesh!" Muddy rolled his eyes as he helped Brendan stand on his shoulders. "Sometimes I can't believe trainers today. So temperamental. I didn't know I knew that word ... Amazing."

Brendan rolled his eyes as he scanned the area over the grassy land. "Okay. We're not too far from the exit! Just walk forward, Muddy, and we should get out soon!"

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Muddy said cheerfully as held down onto Brendan's shoes to keep him from falling off. The Swampert walked forward, turning his head every now and then. "Are we there yet?" Muddy whined. "My feet hurt and I think I stepped on a feeding Wurmple a few minutes ago."

"We're almost there, pal; just keep walking!" Brendan said, a hand protecting his eyes from the beating sun.

"Yuck! I stepped in Linoone dung!" Muddy complained, stopping mid-track. "Let me just get it ..." He bent over to wipe the Linoone ... well, crap off his foot.

"Ahhhh!" Brendan fell forward, almost crashing onto a sleeping Oddish.

"Oops." Muddy smiled innocently, helping his trainer back onto his feet. "Guess what though? It wasn't Linoone dung; it was just mud."

"Great."

* * *

May began to skip around the gardens, breathing in the fresh aroma of flowers and berry trees. She picked up a flower and placed it in her hair. "The world smells so good!" she said happily, continuing to skip around. "Well most of it I suppose."

May's happy thoughts of flowers and rainbows faded completely when her PokeNav began to ring.

"Hello?" May un-clipped the ringing device off her belt and pressed a button, turning on the screen. "Archie?" the girl trainer asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow. "You haven't called in like forever! What's up now?"

"Forgive me for not calling sooner, May, but I had so important business to attend to before," Archie stated simply. "My admins and I have figured out a few of Team Magma's plans. They're going to attack the Weather Institution."

"For?" May asked curiously, twisting her nose in confusion.

"I don't know actually. I just know they're attacking it," Archie admitted. "I suppose they're attacking it to try and find information on how to change the weather I suppose. Perhaps there is something valuable there."

"Where is this Weather Institution anyway?" May questioned.

"Near Fortree, maybe a few miles south of it," Archie answered. "The route number slips my mind though. Where are you now?"

May looked around at her surroundings. "Heard of the Berry Master? I'm in his gardens."

"Ah, yes. I've heard of that place," Archie replied. "As soon as your done, head north to the mimic circle. Pass that and you'll see a bridge. Cross that and walk straight and you'll see a big white building with a lot of windows. That's the Weather Institution. But hurry, May. Team Magma should be getting there within the half hour. I'll be sending a few Team Aqua Admins over there, but it might take awhile seeing as we are in Mossdeep."

"Okay then." May nodded. "I'll head over there and stop Team Magma's plans whatever they are! Later Archie!"

"Good-bye, Miss Maple." Archie cut off the call.

"Okay, Weather Institution. Got it," May said out loud firmly. "I wonder if Brendan is getting a call from that Team Magma Leader. Latios knows we don't need another Pokemon battle like the last one." She shuddered at the thought as she began to run out of the garden. "He liked freaked out on me! Who knows if he will if we do battle again."

* * *

"Alright, we got out!" Brendan jumped off Muddy's shoulder's and breathed in the fresh air. "Ahh."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP! New Viv-message from Team Magma Leader Maxie. BEEP BEEP-"

"Yeah, I heard you," Brendan grumbled, reaching down to un-clip his PokeNav. He turned on the screen only to be greeted with the vicious smile of Maxie's. "Hello, Maxie. What news have you brought for me today?" the white-haired trainer asked.

Maxie smirked. "It's good to know that when I call you expect news."

"It's the only time you do call," Brendan replied coldly, ignoring his Swampert who was peeking over his shoulder to see who was calling. "So what honor do I get to bestow this time?"

"Well don't we have an attitude problem today?" Maxie cracked a rare grin of amusement.

"The last time you gave me a mission, I almost killed my friend's Pokemon," Brendan replied, pushing Muddy's head away from his shoulder. "It took awhile for us to get used to each other again you know. I'm not willing to go through that again, especially after a short period of time." Brendan tried his best not to narrow his eyes at the Magma Leader.

"Come now, Mr. Birch. It has been a few weeks since that entire Mount Chimney fiasco," Maxie replied. "Is it my fault that you lost your head during that battle? All I said was to defeat that little Aqua friend of yours, not go all out and try to kill her Pokemon. Find it fortunate enough that I let you travel with that Aqua girl! If it was someone else, I would have cut their head off for it."

"Don't I feel lucky," Brendan said under his breath. "Alright, Maxie. What is my mission this time?"

"The Weather Institute." Maxie clicked a button on his PokeNav, making it show a picture of a building. "My Team Magma Admins and a few Grunts are going there today to find out some information. If you can, go there."

"For what reason? I'm sure you don't need me there," Brendan stated, scratching the back of his head. "Your other members should be able to handle it, shouldn't they?"

"Yes, but you can never be too careful," Maxie replied coolly. "Team Aqua might come, and we could use all the help we can get if they do."

"Okay, I'll go check it out if I pass it," Brendan answered. "Where is this Weather Institution anyway?"

"Near Fortree." Maxie laced his fingers together. "Well I must bid adieu. My team needs me to take care of some business." Maxie broke off the connection, making Brendan stare at an empty black screen.

"Weird," Brendan said, clipping his PokeNav back to his belt. "Really weird."

"What's weird?" Muddy asked curiously.

"Nothing." Brendan got out Muddy's Pokeball. "Sorry, pal, but I better go find May. Return!" He pressed the button on the Pokeball to return Muddy back to his ball. The white-haired trainer began to run down the path he started on to find May only crashed into the girl trainer herself.

"Ow, Brendan!" May complained as she landed on her back. She sat back up and rubbed her head. "Watch where you're going!"

"Well excuse me!" Brendan said, an edge in his voice. "We better get going. It's getting late," he stated in a calmer voice as he helped May stand up. "Have you heard of the Weather Institute?" he asked as the two trainers walked through the tall grass.

"Yeah, I have," May said quietly, remembering the phone call between Archie and her. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. I just heard about it too, and I was wondering if you knew," Brendan answered.

The girl and boy trainer continued to walk in silence, ignoring the Bug Maniacs and Bug Catchers that were mimicking every step they took. Oddly enough, the two reached the other side of the mimic circle unlike Brendan and Muddy's earlier attempt in the tall grass. After passing a few trainers battling, May brought up,

"You know, B Boy, we haven't battled for awhile. Think we should battle soon?"

Brendan noticed the Weather Institute up ahead. He sighed and stopped dead in his tracks, causing May to stop walking too. "You know what, May? I think we're going to battle VERY soon."

"What do you mean by that?" May questioned as the two trainer began to walk again. "Are you challenging me to a battle or something?"

"Not exactly." Brendan rubbed the back of his head. A drop of rain pelted him on the head. "Great. It's beginning to rain," he murmured as dark grey clouds began to cover the sky.

"Just our luck!" May complained, covering her forehead and eyes with a hand. "We can stay in the Weather Institute until it passes, can't we?"

_I was hoping that we wouldn't have to_, Brendan thought. The white-haired trainer noticed two Team Magma Grunts hiding in the bushes, ready to attack anyone that was going to walk over the bridge._ I guess we have no choice then._

Both boy and girl trainer walked over to the building and opened the glass doors. But what they saw ...

They expected.

"Look at all the Magma Members," May murmured, peeking her head through the door. "Did you know about this, Brendan?"

"Wha?" Brendan got nervous."Well, maybe a few minutes ago ... or thirty ... or forty-five. But what's the difference?"

"Fifteen minutes, that's what," May answered, closing the doors. "I'm not going in there. I'd rather sit out in the rain!" To make her point, May sat down Indian-style on the side of the Weather Institution, a large scowl on her face. "So there!"

"May, you cannot sit out in the rain!" Brendan complained, digging around in his backpack for an umbrella. "You're going to catch a cold if you do, and we can't waste any more days doing nothing because you're sick!"

"I told you already! The League isn't for a few more months!" May argued back, crossing her arms.

"Still ... Who knows how long it's going to take to travel all that way!" Brendan debated. "We might need all those-" A hand from inside the building reached out and pulled Brendan inside the Institute.

"Brendan?" May saw Brendan get pulled into the Weather Institute. She quickly stood back up and looked into the building, her face pressed up against the cold glass. "Brendan?" she repeated. "Why am I saying that? He can't hear me!"

* * *

"Hey!" Brendan shouted, trying to escape from the stranger's grasps. "Let me – mmph!" A hand covered his mouth.

"Dude, why are you standing out there?" the voice from behind him whispered harshly. "Who knows if Maxie is watching somewhere! You don't want to look skeptical in front of him, otherwise-" He heard the person behind him shudder.

Brendan turned around and saw a red-eyed, black-haired trainer smirking at him. "Chris?" He pushed the trainer back and scowled. "What the hell was that for? Must you kidnap me?"

Chris only shook his head and gave out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah, but it was for a good cause."

"Good cause my foot."

Chris laughed again, running a hand through his spiky hair. "I'm guessing that Maxie called you, telling us Magma Members that we needed to get information, right?"

Brendan nodded. "Yeah, me and May were back at the Mimic Circle and Berry Master before I got the call. I think May got a call too."

"What? Is she on Magma too?"

Brendan shook his head, remembering that Chris didn't know May was on Team Aqua. "Never mind," he said simply. "So where are we suppose to find this information anyway? From the computers? From the people?" he paused. "Wait, what the hell are we looking for?"

"Information on how to change the weather or something weather-related," Chris answered, shrugging. "I'm not sure. I wasn't really paying attention at the meeting earlier. Lucky for you, you were out of calling range to call you or something like that."

"Lucky me." Brendan grinned. "So I guess we better do our job, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

* * *

"Aw, I hate the rain, it makes my hair get all ... wet."

May heaved a sigh as she sat back down again, staring at the rain glistening in the light. Despite the fact that she was all wet so-to-speak, she enjoyed the glistening rain on the pine trees and the sound of a raindrop plunging into the stream. The annoying, high-pitched noise of her PokeNav disrupted the peacefulness of nature.

"Hello?" May asked as she turned on her PokeNav screen. "Archie?"

"Miss Maple, good to see you after twenty minutes," Archie stated. "Are you at or near the Weather Institute?"

"Actually, I'm outside it."

"Good. My Team Aqua Members should be getting there soon. I need you though to try and stop Team Magma from getting any information. Who knows what devious plans Maxie has got stored in his head this time."

"But." May turned her head and looked through the clear, glass doors. "Okay, I'll do it."

"There isn't a problem, is there?"

_Archie wasn't there to see my battle against Brendan_, May thought. _So he doesn't have a clue to how bad it was._

"Nope! No problem!" May said cheerfully. "Okay, I'm going in now. Talk to you later, Archie!" She disconnected the Viv-message and sighed, pressing a hand against the cold glass. "Guess this is it, Maple. Time to see if we battle Brendan today or not."

* * *

"Please enter a password," a computer stated in its dull voice.

"Password huh?" Chris murmured to himself as he began to type in random words. "Admin Courtney, question those scientists and make them tell the password if you please."

"Yes, sir," Admin Courtney saluted Chris and walked over to where the hostages were kept.

"So, Admin Brendan-" Chris began to type in random passwords again.

"Admin Brendan? When did this happen?" Brendan questioned, watching Chris type in passwords.

"A few meetings ago. I was suppose to tell you when I first met you but I guess it slipped my mind," Chris answered. He typed in another password and got into the files. "Got it! I'm good!" he cheered. The crimson-eyed boy began to type in more information. "It says here that the only way to change the weather is if a Pokemon uses Hail, Rain Dance, or Sunny Day which only makes the weather change temporarily for five minutes at most. The only way to permanently change the weather is by awakening Groudon or Kyogre. Even then, the weather can be changed again if you capture the legendary or put it back to sleep."

"So that's why Maxie wants the Blue Orb so bad," Brendan said. "He wants to awaken Groudon so the weather can change!"

"Exactly!" Chris nodded. "Ever since his plan at Mount Chimney failed, the only other way Maxie knew of was to awaken Groudon once again. Just like what Archie did before!"

"What did Archie do?" a voice from behind them asked in harsh whisper.

Chris and Brendan turned around to come face to face with an angry May decked out in her blue bandanna. Her Team Aqua blue bandanna.

"Get any more information, and I'll make sure you never want to be born!" May growled through clenched teeth, grasping a Pokeball in her fist.

"How did you get past all the securities?" Chris demanded.

"Humph, making Magma Grunts your securities?" May laughed mockingly. "Oh please, Chris. You have got to run your operations better!"

"H-how did you know I was on the team?" Chris asked, his eyes widening. "And why are you on Team Aqua?"

"Some questions are better left unanswered." May smirked.

"I'll stop this little brat!" Admin Courtney began to advance on May when Brendan stopped her.

"Wait, Admin!" the white-haired trainer shouted. He narrowed his ruby red eyes. "If someone is going to stop her, I'm going to be it!" He enlarged a Pokeball from his belt and raised it to his chin. "Well, May. You asked when we were going to battle again. I hope this answers your question! Go, Kadabra!"

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	34. Showdown at the Weather Institute Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Pokemon does not belong to me so therefore ... ergo ... Whatever! I don't own it, and I just repeated myself but it's okay! That has got to be a run-on.

Ugh -.- Sorry for taking so long to update this story. So ... inspiration-less. Is that a word?

Muddy: Whatever ... But seeing as the readers want to see the exciting-

Flare: Sarcasm on exciting of course.

Muddy: Of course! Now where was I? Oh yeah. But seeing as the readers want to see the exciting conclusion to the last chapter, we'll cut the skit short and just go to the chapter! So enjoy!

My line but whatever.

* * *

**Showdown at the Weather Institute (Part 2)**

**

* * *

**

"Go, Kadabra!" the boy trainer yelled.

In a flash of brilliant, white light, the tall, sharp, and quick-witted Psi Pokemon appeared, the star on his forehead glowing with red power, his cerebral spoon at hand.

"Come on out, Thunderbolt!" May threw a Pokeball onto the makeshift battlefield. The determined and swift Mancetric took form, his fur crackling with electric power as a small snort came out of his nose.

"Brendan!" Chris shouted, quickly rising from his seat. The smirk formerly on his face faded away and was replaced with a disappointing frown. "What. Are. You. Doing?" he demanded in short sentences. "Do you _not _remember what I said a few days ago?"

"I heard you," Brendan growled through clenched teeth.

"But were you listening?" the crimson-eyed boy inquired, his voice rising with every word. "Your ears hear these words that come out from people's mouths but yet it takes your heart to translate those words."

"... Kadabra." Brendan chose to ignore Chris's comment. "Start things off with Psybeam!"

"Let's go, Thunderbolt! Dodge with Quick Attack!" May hastily retaliated.

Kadabra found his footing on the slippery metal floor and twirled his spoon with his left hand. The fast action of his hand created multi-colored light to shoot out, aiming towards the Discharge Pokemon. Thunderbolt wasn't so easy to hit though. At a breakneck speed, he dodged the beams of light with his velocity and his cunning.

"Alright, T.B.! That's the way to go!" May cheered, her eyes twinkling with joy.

"Whatever." Brendan rolled his eyes. "It's going to take more than swiftness to dodge this next attack! Kadabra, Future Sight now!"

Kadabra closed his eyes and concentrated, causing the lights and computer screens to flicker. His eyes quickly snapped them open, and soon, tension filled the air, choking everyone with its worry.

May cussed under her breath, feeling the pressure of Kadabra's attack. "It's coming," she said in a whisper, staring at her Pokemon on the field. "But I won't let that stop me! Thunderbolt, Spark attack now!"

"Teleport, Kadabra!" Brendan countered.

Thunderbolt roared a mighty cry and charged towards the Psi, his body sparking with electricity. Just when his head was about to charge into Kadabra's legs, Kadabra faded away, reappearing behind Thunderbolt.

"Behind you, Thunderbolt! Spark 'em again!"

Thunderbolt quickly turned around and tackled toward Kadabra who simply teleported away again.

"Your Pokemon's a coward!" May shouted, frustrated. "He keeps teleporting away!"

Brendan shook his head, a small chuckle escaping from his lips. "He is no coward, May," he said simply. "He's just smart enough to run when danger lies ahead. Looking straight into fear may seem courageous but it can be the stupidest thing to do. Not everyone understands that."

"Looking straight into fear can be both courageous and stupid, but if you really believe in it, it's worth taking the risk," May retorted, her dark-blue sapphire glinting with determination. "Fighting this battle is worth the risk if it will save the world. Even though it means that I have to fight you!"

Brendan felt the anger bubble inside him but he hid it with a casual smirk. He placed his hand in his pockets and glowered at May with what use to be his warm, ruby eyes. "Then I suppose I should feel honored to fight such a 'courageous' trainer then, huh?"

"Enough talk; let's battle!" May yelled. "Thunderbolt, use Shock Wave to get Kadabra now!"

Thunderbolt stopped chasing after the teleporting Kadabra and charged up with crackling electric power. Electricity surrounded the Discharge Pokemon, him being the core of it all, causing the lights in the room to break from the pressure. Thunderbolt howled and instantly, the Shock Wave took place. The attack bounced off the walls, looking for its foe.

Meanwhile, Kadabra has his eyes closed again, his spoon glowing an eerily gold color. Using his sharp senses, he heard Thunderbolt's attack closing in on him. His eyes snapped open and he used his spoons to create a circle in the air. Golden light surrounded Kadabra wherever he drew, protecting him from attacks like a barrier.

"Damn, he used Light Screen!" May cursed. "Okay, time to think of a new strategy," May thought out loud. "Let's see. Kadabra's moves can counter with Thunderbolt's own no matter if it'd be a barrier or sends the attack right back at him. Maybe I should wait for HIM to strike Thunderbolt."

"You call that a plan?" Brendan overheard May's strategy. "Kadabra doesn't have to use physical attacks to hit Thunderbolt, and besides, have you forgotten about the Future Sight?"

Sure enough as soon as the white-haired trainer uttered those words of the mouth, an unexpected gust blew through the room. Beams of light shot out from no where, their target: Thunderbolt.

"Try and dodge, T.B.!" May commanded, shielding her eyes from the bright light, her clothes rippling backward from the breeze.

Thunderbolt growled from the back of his throat and dodged the first two beams; the beams vanished into thin air as soon as they passed him. The Discharge Pokemon dodged the next few beams with his amazing agility and managed to jump over another at the same time.

"You're doing great!" May cheered.

Thunderbolt felt a boost of confidence – or arrogance in his case right now – as he dodged the next few beams of light. He looked ahead and saw one more beam. With a small smirk, the Discharge Pokemon used the muscles in his hind legs to jump over it.

"You know what to do, Kadabra!" Brendan called out.

Kadabra nodded and his eyes glowed a eerie red. He raised his hand in front of him, stopping the beam of light in its track. The Psi Pokemon raised his arm up above his head a few seconds later.

May's eyes widened in shock. "Thunderbolt! Watch out!"

Thunderbolt's eyes widened too as the beam of light hit him upside the head. He flew sky high and crashed into the ceiling, bring down chips and bits of plaster with him as he fell back down.

May winced. "That's gotta hurt."

Brendan took advantage of Thunderbolt's position. "Kadabra, finish Thunderbolt off with Psybeam again!"

Kadabra twirled his spoons in a clockwise motion, creating beautiful yet deadly rainbow-colored beams. Thunderbolt, meanwhile, was getting back up groggily to his feet. He raised his head and saw the two rainbow beams coming at him. Digging a paw into the ground and smirking, he let out a tremendous roar, causing the windows in the room to start cracking and the lights hanging on the ceiling to shake violently.

"Hey!" Brendan shouted as a red beam engulfed Kadabra and returned him inside his Pokeball.

Kadabra's Psybeam attack slowed down now that their core disappeared, slightly hurting Thunderbolt instead of blasting him off his feet.

"That was an awesome counter, T.B.!" May cheered happily.

"But it is stupid too!" Brendan retaliated back. "Kadabra's attack may have not been able to faint Thunderbolt, but now he has to go through a fully-healed Pokemon!" The white-haired trainer picked a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. "Come on out, Sirius!" He threw the Pokeball onto the battlefield. The ball opened in its regular white light, revealing the infamous Mightyena, his eyes glaring into the distance, his teeth bared.

"Not too long ago, these two were working with each other," May remarked.

"But now their fighting against each other!" Brendan finished her sentence. "Sirius, Take Down now!"

"Thunderbolt, dodge with Quick Attack now!"

Sirius ran with all his might, advancing towards the Manectric. Thunderbolt was faster though for he leaped up and tackled downward straight onto Sirius's back. The Mightyena's knees buckled under the weight, and he fell, giving Thunderbolt the chance to shock him with his fur.

"While you're at close range, T.B.! Shock Wave now!"

"Send Thunderbolt flying with Tackle!"

Thunderbolt charged up his fur with volts of electricity, but Sirius had other plans. Quickly getting back onto his feet, he used all the power in his leg muscles to throw Thunderbolt upward. The Discharge Pokemon only smirked again as he let out a small lightening bolt from his body, shocking – both emotionally and physically – the Bite Pokemon. Thunderbolt, once again, crashed into the ceiling, taking part of it off with him again as he fell down. The Discharge Pokemon cushioned his fall though; he landed on the dog Pokemon, causing him to buckle at the knees again. But still, the fall was enough to knock out poor T.B.

May gasped and got out Thunderbolt's Pokeball. "Thunderbolt, return!" She redrew her fainted Manectric. "You did great! I'm proud of you!" May switched Pokeballs on her belt, ignoring Brendan's taunts and ridicules of her style of battle. "Let's see how your little doggy does against this one!" May maximized the Pokeball in her hand and threw it in the air. "Come on out, Cherry!"

Brendan snorted. "Oh puh-lease. You send out your little pretty butterfly against my strong, tough and overall cool-" Sirius smirked at the last part, "-Sirius? Ha, this fight will be a piece of cake! Sirius, Take Down now!"

Sirius howled and sprinted towards the big butterfly. He jumped and landed smack on Cherry, pinning down her wings with his paws. Cherry struggled to get out of Sirius's clutches but failed.

May only smirked. "While you're at close range Cherry! Flash!" she commanded.

Cherry nodded and in an instance, bright lights came out from Cherry's antennas, blinding Sirius. The Bite Pokemon howled in agony and stumbled backwards, releasing the Beautifly from his grip.

"While his guard is down, Cherry!" May shouted. "Gust attack now!"

Cherry fluttered back into the air and rapidly beat her wings, creating powerful gusts of wind. Sirius growled, his teeth bared, as he tried to stand his ground against the powerful zephyrs. The Bite Pokemon failed soon enough and collided with a computer, causing jolts of electricity to shoot out.

"Sirius!" Brendan shouted, shielding his eyes from the bright blasts of electricity.

The Bite Pokemon's head popped up from the wires and broken glass of the computer, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. It shocked Brendan seeing his Pokemon at a playful state in the heat of battle. Sirius jumped back out of the broken computer parts and stared at Cherry, a childish smile on his face. If things couldn't get any more weirder, the part dog and wolf Pokemon laid on the floor and rolled on his back, his crimson-colored eyes sparkling in the room's lighting.

"What _is _that Mightyena planning?" Chris muttered under his breath.

"Is Sirius confused or something?" May murmured.

"... I do hope you know what you're doing, Dog Boy," Brendan said barely above a whisper.

After waiting a few moments, the girl trainer got frustrated. "Enough of this!" she shouted. "Cherry, finish Sirius off with Silver Wind!"

Cherry cried a beautiful battle cry and flapped her wings rapidly, creating silver fairy-dust from her wings. The silver stars and dust rushed towards the wolf Pokemon despite its graceful and pretty appearance. Sirius, though, didn't seem to panic at all; in fact, he hadn't even moved yet.

"Sirius, look out!" Brendan shouted.

Sirius, despite the childlike smile still on his face, closed his eyes before the swirling clouds of silver dust took over him.

"It's over now!" May cried out triumphantly.

Chris only raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing as he tried to look inside the thick blankets of the Silver Wind. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, May," he said quietly. "I wouldn't get your hopes up ..."

Brendan's eyebrows furrowed together in worry, hoping that his Pokemon was alright.

The silver dust slowly dissolved into the ground but instead of the fainted dog Pokemon that May wanted to see, there was instead ...

Nothing.

"What?" May cried, wringing her hands together. "Where did that mutt go? He didn't move! He can't just disappear like that!"

"Or maybe he can!" Brendan smirked, catching on to his Pokemon's plan. "Now, Sirius! Reappear and tackle!"

Sirius slowly reappeared back on the battlefield and tackled the unaware Beautifly from behind, sending the butterfly crashing into the white plaster wall. She slid down, taking pieces of the wall down with her.

"Cherry!" May cried.

Cherry shook her head to clear it of the dizzy spells. Slowly yet steadily, she rose back up into the air and turned around, facing the now growling Bite Pokemon. Her dark-blue eyes looked weary and she began to shudder with tiredness.

"Hang in there, Cherry!" May called out worriedly. "Try finishing Sirius off with Gust again!"

The Beautifly, despite her exhaustion, beat her wings furiously again, creating a mini tornado in the room. The Gust attack began to suck in several broken wires and glass from the broken computers as it made its way towards Sirius. The Bite Pokemon stood his ground and shifted his weight at his two bottom legs to hold himself down. The mini-tornado was coming towards Sirius fast, still sucking up computer parts and papers.

_Running around the tornado won't do us any good_, Brendan thought. _It will just suck up Sirius like those computer parts! Using a Dig attack won't work too good either; it'll take forever for Sirius's claws to break through the floor!_ The white-haired trainer observed the tornadoes. _That tornado is wide, but not as tall ... Maybe ... _

"Sirius!" Brendan commanded. "Jump over the Gust attack now!"

The Bite Pokemon nodded and sprinted, gaining acceleration. A few yards away from the tornado, Sirius used his powerful legs to jump over. Luckily enough, the dog jumped high enough to go over the Gust attack.

"Alright, Sirius!" Brendan cheered as he saw his Pokemon's head appear above the twister.

Sirius barked happily but felt himself get dragged back in by the gust. He turned his head and saw that one of his back legs got captured in the swirling winds. The Mightyena let out a whimper as he got sucked in by the powerful gusts of wind.

"It's over now!" May repeated her infamous line again.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, May," Chris said, looking down at the ground. "I wouldn't get your hopes up. Whoa, deja vu."

"Sirius!" Brendan shouted, the strong zephyrs beginning to blow him backwards.

The Gust attack slowly disintegrated into a calm, gentle breeze and then finally disappeared into the nothingness. The Bite Pokemon was flat on his stomach, his eyes tightly closed, his tail flopping left and right on the floor perhaps to help keep the Mightyena conscious. Slowly, the dog Pokemon got back onto his feet, his body quivering with weariness. His eyes shot open, showing off a pair of dark-red eyes.

"Impossible!" May scoffed. "That Gust attack should have wiped Sirius out for sure!"

"I get it now!" Chris snapped his fingers together. "As you all know, Sirius rested on the floor for a minute, even when May's Beautifly used her Silver Wind attack. Sirius used his Faint Attack to his advantage by quickly disappearing to dodge the attack while regaining some energy at the same time! That's why he rested and didn't move for awhile!"

"And that's also why Sirius didn't faint!" Brendan added. "Now, finish Cherry off with Take Down!"

Sirius rushed over towards the big butterfly Pokemon and jumped up into the air. He rammed his head into Cherry's body and pinned down her wings as they skid across the slippery floor. Cherry hummed indignantly as she tried to pry herself out of the Mightyena's grip.

"Haven't you learned yet?" May smirked, shaking her head. Her eyes sparkled with determination. "Cherry, Flash again!"

"I have learned actually," Brendan replied with an evil grin. "I've learned not to wait for your attack that is! Sirius, Scary Face!"

Sirius's eyes glowed an eerie red and he bared his teeth, scaring the poor butterfly from using her counter attack.

"Now finish 'em off with Bite!" the white-haired trainer ordered.

Sirius lowered his head and bit down hard at the top of Cherry's head as if trying to rip it off. Cherry screeched in her fluttery, musical voice and squirmed, still trying to get out of the Pokemon's grip.

"Ah, Cherry return!" May's eyes widened as she flicked out her Beautifly's Pokeball to return her. May glared at Brendan as she switched Pokeballs on her belt as soon as Cherry was returned. "I'd rather lose that round then see Cherry in so much pain!"

Brendan just shrugged. "Hey, whatever floats your boat," he laughed mockingly.

May maximized another Pokeball and threw it onto the battlefield. "Let's go, Flare!" she shouted. "Use Fire Punch now!"

Flare appeared in the familiar blaze of white light and immediately she flared up her upper claws in red-orange flames. She jumped up into the air and flew toward the Bite Pokemon, one claw already curled up into a fist to punch the daylights out of her opponent. With a swift swing of her arm, the Raging Fire Pokemon drove her flamed fist into Sirius's face, sending the dog flying sideways into a few more computers. The Bite Pokemon, after getting shocked by both Pokemon and electric currents from broken computers, getting sucked in by a mini-tornado and practically suffocating in a thick blanket of Silver Wind, finally fainted, exhausted.

"You were wicked sweet, Sirius!" Brendan returned his Pokemon. "Return!" The white-haired trainer switched Pokeballs on his belt and smirked. "Seeing as Muddy could take down your little Blaziken in an instance," he laughed a bit at the glares that both opposing Pokemon and trainer gave him, "I think I'll use someone else. Go, Ninjask! Start things off with Swords Dance!"

The Ninja Pokemon wings beat rapidly as he crossed his two steely claws into a X. He spun around, making him look like a miniature cyclone. This created a silver glow to surround the Bug Pokemon. After a few seconds of high-speed spinning, Ninjask stopped with no signs of dizziness while also looking quite pumped up as well.

"I've had enough of tornadoes for one day," May muttered. "This round will be a piece of cake! Use Fire Punch again, Flare!"

"Counter with Double Team!" Brendan retaliated.

Flare ran toward the Ninjask, her claws up in red-orange flames again as Ninjask concentrated and made duplicates of himself, surrounding the Raging Fire Pokemon. Confused, Flare stopped her sprint and looked around the circle of Ninjasks, trying to figure out which one was the real one.

May growled as she began to think of a strategy on how to discover which one was the real Ninjask.

_Perhaps the shadows will help me with this, _the girl trainer pondered. _Ninjask's copies may be able to cast shadows on the floor but maybe if I make the light strong enough, the real Ninjask's shadow will be darker than the others!_

"Flare up your claws and look for the Ninjask with the darker shadow!" May commanded.

The Blaziken nodded and fired up all four claws in her flames, causing the Ninjask clones to cast shadows on the ground. Flare slowly turned around in a circle, looking for the Ninja Pokemon with the darkest shadow. Spotting it to her right, Flare advanced on the Ninjask and used a roundhouse Blaze Kick to bring him down. Ninjask fell with a loud thud, causing all of his copies to return back to him. Taking advantage of Ninjask's weak moment, the Blaziken Blaze Kicked Ninjask again, causing him to crash into the wall where Cherry previously rammed into.

"Are you okay, Ninjask?" Brendan asked worriedly.

Ninjask flapped his usually quick beating wings and hovered back into the air, burn marks all over his body. He nodded slowly and stared Flare straight in the eye.

"Ha, let's finish this off now so Ninjask won't have to suffer anymore!" May laughed. "Use Double Kick now!"

Flare sprinted toward the Ninja Pokemon at a high speed.

"Not so fast!" Brendan shouted. "Or should I say go faster? Ninjask, Agility now!"

Ninjask buzzed loudly as disappeared just as one of Flare's legs was about to crash down on him. He reappeared again and dodged Flare's other kick to the head. Ninjask kept disappearing and reappearing at random spots in the room as if he were using a Teleport attack.

"It's impossible to see him!" May cried as Flare tried to use a Cut attack where she thought Ninjask was. "So how are we suppose to attack him? All of Flare's attacks have to be direct-to-direct contact." She felt her Pokemon begin to panic as she began to swing her arms wildly about. "Flare, calm down! Attacking like that is not going to win this fight!"

Flare took one final swing before stopping, looking straight into the face of her concerned trainer.

May noticed the loud buzzing noise of the Ninjask. "Now," she directed, "listen. Do you hear Ninjask's buzzing?"

Flare nodded.

"Good," May stated. "Now if you concentrate hard enough, you can cut down Ninjask once and for all!"

Flare closed her eyes and listened to the annoying buzzing sound that Ninjask made when he flew around. Concentrating, she heard a similar pattern to where Ninjask flew every time. With her eyes still closed, Flare raised up one arm and punched backwards, hitting Ninjask straight on. The Ninja Pokemon, with a look of surprise and horror written on his face, fell backwards after colliding with the Blaziken's arm and blacked-out.

"Ninjask, return!" Brendan recalled his Pokemon and whispered words of gratitude into it. He switched Pokeballs on his belt and enlarged his new one. "Didn't want to use him just yet, but I guess I have no choice now! Go, Muddy! Start things off with-"

"Mr. Birch! So nice to finally see you at one of our many Team Magma schemes," a voice from the entrance of the second floor stated in a icy cold voice. "So very, very nice to see that you are loyal."

"... Maxie," Brendan muttered under his breath.

"Aw crap; let's bail," Chris cried in alarm, his eyes wide in horror. "We're gonna get in so much trouble for not getting any information. Oh, that and you _completely_ trashed this place!" He pointed to the debris of broken computers.

Maxie made his way across the room to where Brendan and Chris stood, ignoring the sparks of electricity that came out of the computers.

"So, the Team Magma leader decides to show up huh?" May stated as she made her way to her Pokemon's side. "What? So afraid of getting you're butt kicked by a little girl?"

The Team Magma Leader stopped dead in his tracks. With a swish of his long black cape, he turned around and glared at the young Team Aqua member. He snapped his fingers and instantly, a blast of white light burst from his belt line, forming a ferocious-looking Mightyena unlike Brendan's Mightyena who had the playful sparkle in his eye no matter what he did.

"Attack the Blaziken, Mightyena," the leader said in a calm voice.

The Mightyena growled and tackled Flare into a wall, instantly knocking her out.

May gasped. "Flare, return!"

Maxie returned his Pokemon also and shook his head. "Perhaps you should get a little more stronger, girl, before you go and taunt the strongest of the Team Magma Force."

The girl trainer backed up into a wall, scared out of her mind.

Maxie shook his head in disgust. He turned his attention back to the Team Magma members. "Now, boys," he started, addressing the two trainers, "have you gotten any new information yet?"

The two boy trainers stayed silent until Chris cracked under the pressure. "I'm sorry, sir. We were looking until that blasted Team Aqua member showed up and challenged Admin Brendan to a battle!"

"Ah, but why didn't you look for information while Admin Birch stalled the Team Aqua member, Admin Chris?" the leader debated.

Chris bowed. "I'm sorry. That idea slipped my mind, sir! I did not think about getting information at the moment! I am not as smart as you are, sir, as to think of such a ... brilliant idea!" If you listened closely, you could hear sarcasm dripping off of Chris's tongue.

Maxie glared at the crimson-eyed trainer. "Enough of your pathetic excuses, Admin. I have had enough of them today!"

"Of what? Members begging you to let them quit?" Chris muttered under his breath.

"What was that, _Admin_?" Maxie put stress on the last word.

"Nothing, _sir_." Chris did the same.

The Team Magma Leader turned his attention back to Brendan. "Now, Admin Brendan. I expect YOU to get information on how Groudon being awaken effects the weather seeing as Admin Chris," he glared at the black-haired boy, "is incapable of doing that. You can make yourself helpful, Admin Chris, by disposing of that annoying Team Aqua-" He turned his head to where May stood. "Ha! So the girl chickened out, eh? That's Aqua Members for you. Good day, gentlemen." Maxie turned around swiftly and exited the room.

Chris sighed deeply in relief. "That was close," he stated, rubbing the back of his head.

"Tell me about it," Brendan agreed. He remembered what Maxie said a few seconds ago. "Hey, where _did _May go?"

* * *

May ran outside the warm Weather Institution into the freezing cold rain only to run into a person. "Whoa, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I guess I'm kind of out of it today."

"It's alright, dude," the stranger replied, "but I gotta go IN and help some Team Aqua Member in there. Heard the dude was in a lot of trouble from what the leader said." He noticed the blue bandanna May was wearing. "Not unless you're the dude, dude."

The girl trainer eyed the other trainer oddly before nodding. "I guess so," she said, unsure. "I work for Team Aqua, so I guess that's me! I'm May Maple from Littleroot! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Koran. Koran Coral from Lilycove!" the other trainer said. He was a rather well-built and tan boy as if he did a lot of surfing. His shaggy, black hair partially covered his chocolate-brown eyes. May knew that he was a surfer seeing as he was wearing a pair of blue board shorts, a white tank top, and a pair of black flip-flops on his feet. Despite the fact that he was wearing an outfit that was more fit on the beach than the freezing rain, he didn't look cold at all.

"So, dude, what happened?" Koran asked. "You just ... left like that?"

May nodded. "Maxie, the Team Magma Leader, came and beat my strongest Pokemon with a single attack, and I knew I stood no chance with my other Pokemon. So when I had the chance, I ran away and now-"

"Whoa, dude. Chill out; stay mellow!" the surfer trainer laughed. "I'm sure you'll get them next time, and I'm sure you tried your hardest."

May nodded as she shivered. "Do you think we can go somewhere where it's not ... wet?"

Koran laughed again. "Don't like the water, huh?"

"No, I like water! Just not water this cold!"

* * *

Brendan and Chris stayed behind in the Weather Institution instead of searching for May, realizing that she could take care of herself. Maxie having their hides if they didn't get anymore information also seemed more important.

"Let's see ..." Brendan trailed off as he began to type.

"Find anything useful?" Chris asked, glaring at the hostages and Admin Courtney. "Can't you guys be anymore quiet?"

"Well I'm sorry, Admin Chris!" Admin Courtney said with an edge in her voice. "_You_ try keeping the hostages quiet!"

"I'll probably do a better job than you will!" Chris retorted as he stood up from his seat. "A much better, _QUIETER_, job."

"Fine!" Admin Courtney shouted. "You be the prison guard and see how you like it!" The angry admin stormed away to the stairwell.

Chris shook his head and walked over to the hostages. "Thought she'd never leave," he muttered. "Hi, I'm Chris!" he said when he reached the hostages.

"S-stay b-b-back!" one of the scientist trembled. "I-I've got a c-computer m-mo-mouse!"

"Because we know how much _those _things hurt." Chris rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, as long as this piece of information stays to yourself, I don't even want to be on this team! Same with that white-haired fool-"

"Don't call me that!" Brendan groaned as he typed.

"Whatever." Chris rolled his eyes again. "Same with that white-haired GUY sitting there, trying to get information. And probably that freaky girl admin that was guarding you a few minutes ago, but she just won't admit it."

"Then why are you guys on the team then?" a little kid asked.

"That, I cannot tell you," Chris replied. He leaned against the door frame and stared at the hostages. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked. "You can leave, you know."

"And go where exactly, Chris?" Brendan frowned at the screen. "To their death? There are still Magma Grunts downstairs defending the first floor which questions me on how May did escape."

"They're grunts, idiot," Chris retorted. "May is probably an admin on her team or almost an admin. Admin and Grunt are two major different ranks. So, getting past those morons should be a piece of cake. That is if you have any Pokemon."

The scientist shook his head. "We only have Castform in here. This place is loaded with them."

"Castform?" Brendan asked inquisitively and he flicked out his PokeDex.

"Yes, they can tell the weather by transforming into what the weather is like," the scientist explained. "For example, if it is a hot day out, Castform will change into what looks like a sun symbol. If its raining, it transforms into what looks like a raindrop."

"I see," Brendan murmured as he put away his PokeDex, "Perhaps this Castform will help with some information."

"How?" Chris asked, confused.

"I'm ... I'm not sure," Brendan admitted, "but it must help somehow!" The white-haired trainer continued his search for information. "Ah, it says here that a terrible drought will spread all across the Hoenn Region once Groudon is awaken and will not go away until the legendary is put back to sleep or captured. So I believe that Maxie wants to awaken Groudon to kill two birds with one stone: Cause a drought that will, uh ... suck up all the water and to tame the mighty beast."

Chris snorted. "Can't Maxie think of a better plan? I mean, he pretty much copied what Team Aqua did a few years back. But I suppose it is a good plan if I were a psycho that wanted an all-land world." He sighed. "Anyway though, is that all you found?"

"So far besides that other crap we found before," Brendan answered, his eyebrows furrowing together in concentration. "Hang on ..." The boy paused. "I didn't know that when Kyogre awoke, it caused it to rain terribly for days."

"Well, duh." Chris slapped his forehead. "How can you not know that? Do you think Team Aqua just wanted to awake Kyogre for no reason whatsoever? Team Aqua tried to awaken Kyogre so it would rain and flood the lands and yada yada yada, just like what Maxie is trying to do right now except with drought."

"What exactly is drought anyway?"

"It's very dry and hot to put it in simple terms."

"Dry enough to suck up the water perhaps?"

"It doesn't 'suck up the water' as you say, B Boy. It EVAPORATES it. But Maxie's plan is bound to fail anyway."

"Why?"

"Allow me to explain it to the white-haired boy," the scientist perked up. He cleared his throat. "See, when water evaporates like what ... uh-"

"Chris," Chris filled in.

"Yes, what Chris said, the water – how do I put this in simple terms? The water turns into ... it ... er-"

"What the scientist dude is trying to say is that the water gets sucked up, stays up in the sky, and then falls down." Chris rolled his eyes once again. "So, it's like a cycle. Even if the hot weather does manage to 'suck up' all the water in the world, it'll just come back down sooner or later."

"And it would take decades for the sun to vaporize all the water away," the scientist added, "seeing as the ocean is quite large and deep. When that Team Aqua Leader tried to flood the world by awakening the great beast Kyogre a few years back, he probably knew that there was no way for it to be stopped because the rain will just add on to the oceans, lakes, streams, etcetera."

"Makes sense," Brendan replied. "I guess."

* * *

May stood underneath the shade of a rather thick pine tree and sighed. She sat down in the wet grass, and every now and then got pelted on the head from a raindrop that dropped off from the pine trees.

"You know, I believe I'm just getting wetter sitting here then back at the Weather Institution," the girl trainer remarked as she felt the soggy, wet ground seep through her black shorts. "But at least I get to sit over here!" She sighed again. "Anyway ... Koran."

"Yeah, dude?" the surfer trainer was leaning against the trunk of the tree, staring up at the pouring rain.

"Why did you join Team Aqua?" May questioned.

"Ah you know." Koran relaxed against the tree. "I love the water and marine life Pokemon and thought maybe I could learn something new, you know? I also hear that Team Aqua is looking for a place called Mirage Island. I heard they have some awesome waves over there!" He smirked. "So, why did you join?"

"Oh, you know." May rubbed the back of her head, forgetting why she joined Team Aqua. "I guess I joined because ... Meh. It's a long story."

"We have time, dude."

"Ah, well. Um, Archie came up to me one day when me and Brendan, this white-haired trainer I travel with, were at Meteor Falls. Brendan went outside for some fresh air, and that's when Archie asked if I wanted to join. He told me he was all up against having Team Magma change the world to all land, and so was I. Before Archie came up and asked me if I wanted to join, Brendan – well actually, Team Magma ran away with a meteor that would active a special machine that would cause Mount Chimney to erupt. So I knew Team Magma was bad news, and I happily joined Team Aqua."

"Ah," was all Koran said.

"Ah, what?" May asked.

"Nothin'. Just sayin' 'ah,'" Koran answered, still staring at the rain. "So, you joined the TA to stop Team Magma then. Why didn't you just say that, dude?"

"Because I didn't think about it 'till you told me," May muttered. "I guess it's a pretty lame reason to join the TA huh?"

Koran shook his head. "Not really, dude. Some people join the teams to get revenge, others for the hell of it, others to learn something, others because ... well because they want to." He shrugged. "Even if I was a pyro maniac, I wouldn't join Team Magma at this time. Heard their doing some pretty wicked things. Wicked as in bad anyway."

"See! If only Brendan understood that!" May remarked. "I always tell him that Team Magma is no good, but he tells me that their just trying to make the world half land, half sea. That's so fake, huh, dude? Damn, you got me hooked on that dude word."

Koran laughed. "It's a wicked sweet word. But you do know? ... Ah never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Really what?"

"Nothing, you'll just get all-"

"All what?"

"Nothin.'"

"For Kyogre's sake! Just say it already!"

Koran smirked again. "Dude, you need to learn how to relax. When you get angry, it's harder for you to concentrate. But I guess I'll tell you before you explode. See, I've heard of this kid – what was his name? Calvin? No. Craig? No. But its starts with a 'C' that's all I know. Maybe it was ... Chris, that's it! He's on Team Magma but not on his own will if you catch my drift."

"Huh?" May eyed Koran confused.

"See, ever since the TA tried to drown the world in wat-"

"Wait, Team Aqua did what exactly?" May interrupted.

Koran turned his head to look at the top of May's head. "You don't know?" he asked bewilderingly. "Wow, you've got a lot of catching up to do, dude. Anyway, as you probably know, Team Aqua a few years back tried to flood the world for more Pokemon habitats by awakening Kyogre, the legendary of water."

"Sounds like a worthy cause."

"Dude, I like water, but not that much to fill the entire world with. Where would everyone live? But anyway, back to whatever I was talking about. See, after the TA fiasco, many people wanted to quit seeing how dangerous being on a team was. They thought it was just all fun and games, perhaps to protect a habitat or save an endangered species. I dunno, dude. Maxie and Archie couldn't have their people quit, so they threatened people, bribed them, tricked them, _anything_ really. So are you sure that your friend Brendan joined because he wanted to or because Maxie tricked him?"

* * *

Brendan printed out several pages concerning Groudon and weather changes. He spun around and looked at Chris. "Do you think this is enough?" he asked as he waved the papers in his hand.

"I guess," the red-eyed trainer replied, running a hand through his spiky hair. "We better leave before investigators come even if _I_ didn't do anything." He glared at Brendan as he pointed to the broken computers.

Brendan rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, it was partially May's fault too!"

"But you didn't have to battle so destructively."

"What's with the big words your using all of a sudden? Destructively? Evaporation? Knowing what drought means?"

"Those words aren't big. They're just big to you because you can't fit them inside your head."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"No."

"Yeah, that's what – I hate sarcasm."

"Can't like everything in the world as I always say," Chris stated, laughing. He checked the time on his watch. "Dude, we _really _have to leave like ... now! Yes, now would be good."

"But if you stay, we can help you clear your name and perhaps stop Maxie from keeping you on his team," the scientist piped up.

Chris shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. Thanks though. I need to stay on the team and fight Maxie from behind closed doors. It's safer for the others that way, and if I quit Maxie's team, he's going to come after my family."

"What about you, Brendan?" the scientist inquired.

Brendan shook his head as well. "I think it's too late for me to quit," he stated, "especially since Maxie most likely knows that I'm the son of a famous Pokemon Researcher in the Hoenn Region." He sighed. "It's the price of fame I guess."

Chris snorted. "What fame are _you_ talking about? It's your dad that's the big-shot, not you."

"Whatever."

"Ah, well." The scientist walked over to the two boy trainers, a Pokeball in hand. "Take this then. It's a Castform. Perhaps it will help you defeat Maxie once and for all!"

"Hold up. You're giving us a Pokemon for running your place down with Team Magma agents, taking you hostage and jacking up a few computers?" Brendan asked, bewildered.

"Uh, yeah." The scientist shrugged. "Now, I don't approve of you being on Team Magma, but I suppose that trying to take down Maxie from within his organization is noble enough to earn you a Pokemon. We have plenty of Castforms that want a trainer anyway. Enough to give them out like party favors really."

"Ah," both Brendan and Chris said at the same time.

"So, do you two want one or not?" the scientist asked again.

"No, but thanks," Chris declined the offer. "I have enough Pokemon on my team, and I only use Fire types even though Castform can change into a fire type."

"Brendan?" the scientist looked at the white-haired trainer.

"Uh, sure. Why not?" the boy trainer replied as the scientist dropped a Pokeball into his hand. "I guess I need a sixth Pokemon on my though I did want a fire type. But I guess I can switch now and then, right?"

"Right," the scientist agreed.

"Right then!" Brendan smiled down on his new Pokemon "Welcome, Castform!"

"Well, that was corny," Chris remarked smirking. "Think of a nickname for it yet?"

"I just got it, dude."

"I know, but sometimes when you feel the smooth texture of a Pokeball in your grasp, it just comes to you, ya know? You feel the power, the love, and perhaps even the hatred of it. Sometimes a name clicks to you when you even see the Pokeball. It happened to me when I got my first Pokemon. What about you?"

Brendan looked shiftily to the side. "Well, it took me maybe a week or so to get Muddy's nickname."

Chris's eyes widened. "Dang, it took you a week just to get a simple nickname like Muddy? So creative aren't you, Brendan?"

"Oh, shut up." Brendan looked down at his new Pokemon and sighed. "I think I'll name you ... Uh ..."

"You want to name it 'Uh?'" Chris joked.

"Once again, shut up. I think I'll name you." Brendan paused. "I don't know. Something."

"Oh yes because 'I don't know. Something' is a _great _name after all."

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated."

"You telling me that it's not is not appreciated."

* * *

"I- I'm not sure, you know?" May looked up at the sky, getting pelted on the forehead by a raindrop. "What if he wanted to join on his own free will?"

"But what if he didn't, dude?" Koran debated. "He could have been tricked or threatened."

"Yeah, but what if he wanted to-"

"Shhh!" Koran shushed her. "I hear someone coming."

May and Koran heard the splish-splash of feet walking on the wet, soggy grass.

"It's probably just some travelers looking for shelter, dude," May said. "Anyway-"

Kohan cut her off again. "Travelers, dude? Since when do travelers dress in all red? I mean, I've heard of Hoenn pride, but that's going over the line."

May's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. "Those aren't travelers. Those are Team Magma Agents!"

"Dude, you know I was being sarcastic right?"

"Admin, look!" a Team Magma Grunt shouted. "That girl has a Team Aqua bandanna on!"

"Heh." Admin Courtney smirked as she glared at the two Team Aqua agents. "Perhaps they know something ... valuable. Go, Mightyena! Attack those two water-lovers!"

"Go, Golbat!" a Team Magma Grunt shouted.

"Go, Numel!" the second Grunt yelled

May stood back up and enlarged a Pokeball from her belt loop. "Like we're just going to stand here and get attack by your Pokemon! Come on out, Hydro!" The girl trainer released her ferocious-looking Gyarados.

"Heh, don't leave me out on all the fun dude!" Koran smirked, also maximizing a Pokeball. "Let's go, Kappa!" He released a Golduck from his Pokeball, raindrops running down his rubbery, blue skin. He let out a triumphant cry from his sharp, yellow beak.

The first battle at the Weather Institution finished, but the war was far from over.

* * *

Thanks MY2007 for the TA character! :_smiles_: And sorry if I over did it with the dudes, dude. You said that Koran says that word a lot :_sweat-drops:_

I hate when I use the word 'breeze' in a sentence. Yeah, just a random fact of the day.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	35. Tears Mixed with Rain

**Disclaimer**: Don't own it. How sad. I guess.

Muddy: Work on the disclaimer, dammit!

Shut up. Anyway, welcome back to HLBMA. I am Breezy, he is Muddy, that over there is Flare, that thing next to Muddy's leg is Sirius, and the cat is Skittles. But moving on, sorry for the while to update, was busy doing things. _:sweat-drops:_

Muddy: How can you be busy at summer school?

Shut up. Once again, we shall cut the beginning short. So enjoy!

Muddy: IT'S ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY! _:grins:_

I SAID WE'RE CUTTING IT SHORT!

Muddy: Oh. I'm just telling everyone though, Breezy. Sheesh.

-.-; Have you forgotten that it's also almost Flare's b-day too?

Muddy: Who's Flare?

A/N: Sorry again for the long update guys! :sweat-drops: Been busy with prison a.k.a. summer school. I dunno how since its P.E. . . did you know there are textbooks for P.E.? o.O I know! It surprised me too! I was like, "What the hell?" :shakes head:

A/N2: WOOTNESS! IT'S MY ANNIVERSARY HERE TODAY! _:smiles:_

**Random Fact of the Story** (Oh yeah, if you don't read WSBB, I have this little random fact of the story thing that tells you unimportant crap about the fic lol): Flare's name was originally suppose to be Ember.

* * *

**Tears Mixed with Rain**

**

* * *

**

May flicked her wet bangs off her forehead as she observed her opponent's Pokemon carefully. Her eyes sparkled with amusement like she saw the battle funny.

"This is going to be an easy battle," May stated, smirking. "Sending out a fire type in the rain! Ha, stupid move!"

Koran eyed May weirdly before shaking his head. "I'll take the Mightyena dude and you take the Golbat. The Numel will be easy to defeat seeing as it's a fire type and it's raining."

May nodded. "Right! Hydro, use your Thrash attack on the Golbat now!"

"Kappa, use your Water gun now!" Koran commanded his Golduck.

Hydro roared angrily and dive bombed into the Golbat who, in return, ducked under him and attacked him from below with powerful beats of his wings. The Gyarados grew furious at that and smacked Golbat with his tail as he passed. The bat Pokemon screeched as it collided into the ground, finally landing in a rather deep puddle of mud.

Meanwhile, Kappa was busy shooting icy-cold Water Gun attacks at the Bite Pokemon who was easily evading them.

"Kappa, use your Confusion to stop that Mightyena and then use Surf to knock it out!" Koran directed his Pokemon.

Kappa nodded as if he understood and placed one flipper on his head and held his other flipper out. Purple light engulfed the Golduck as he took control of Mightyena. The purple light turned into a light blue color as the lake's waters began to rise into a huge wave. The wave crashed down on the head of the Mightyena as Golduck jumped up to avoid his own attack. This attack would have most likely knocked out the Bite Pokemon if a Team Magma Grunt didn't command Numel to protect his partner's Pokemon. Luckily though, this attack knocked out the Numel because of the type disadvantage.

"One down ..." May trailed off.

"Two to go!" Koran finished for her. "Kappa, use your Surf attack again!"

"Hydro, use your Surf attack too!" May instructed.

Hydro and Kappa nodded together in agreement and glowed an icy blue color, causing the rain to pour down more furiously and the water in the lake began to rise and overflow into the already wet grass. The lake's water began to rise up again like before and create a tidal wave, ending up crashing down on both the Mightyena and Golbat. This knocked the two Pokemon out cold.

"Ah! Mightyena, return!" Admin Courtney cried, returning her hyena Pokemon.

"You too, Golbat!" the Team Magma Grunt shouted as he returned his Pokemon in a beam of red light.

"You haven't heard the last from us!" Admin Courtney shouted as she and the other two Magma Members ran down the road from which they came from.

"Well, that was easy," Koran remarked as he thanked Kappa for battling.

"I don't think the worse is over yet though, Koran," May commented as she returned Hydro to his Pokeball. "I don't think the worse is over yet ..."

* * *

Brendan ran a hair through his silky, white hair and sighed. "Well, I guess we better leave now before Aqua Members show up," he said, handing over the printed documents to Chris. "Take them. I don't see Maxie as much as you do."

"So you leave me to deal with the ass?" Chris complained, folding the papers in halves and shoving them in his backpack. "Why, thank you, Brendan. I didn't know you cared!"

"No problem, Chris!" Brendan laughed as the two exited the Weather Institution. "At least the trip here wasn't all that bad. I got a Castform out of it which I'm going to name Thermo, I raised my Pokemon a few levels, I'm actually closer to the city of Fortree ... but-"

"But what?" Chris questioned.

"But I think May is mad at me," the white-haired trainer finished with a sigh. "It just felt like yesterday when we got over our last fight at Mount Chimney. This is what you get when you best friend is on a team that rivals your-"

"Admin Brendan, Admin Chris!" Admin Courtney from Team Magma ran to the two boy trainers, panting with tiredness. "There are two Aqua Members up ahead that defeated both me and the two Grunts that I had with me!"

"Why that doesn't surprise me, I don't know," Chris replied sarcastically. "I told you you're going to need more than a Golbat and a Mightyena to defeat Team Aqua, Court. But of course you don't like to listen do you?"

"Shut up, Chris," Admin Courtney rolled her eyes. "So shall I call someone else more skilled than you two combined or can you two handle it? I'm sure Maxie will love to find out that you guys can't take care of yourselves." She smirked, knowing that she hit a pressure point.

Instead, she got a, "Oh yes, you can join us seeing as you didn't manage to beat them either," from Brendan.

"Haha, funny." Admin Courtney rolled her eyes again. "Team Aqua remember?"

"And what members of Team Aqua are we facing today?" Chris asked. "Admin, Grunt, what?"

"Not sure," Admin Courtney replied. "One has shaggy hair and the other has brown hair sporting a Team Aqua bandanna above it."

"I don't know who the shaggy-haired kid is, but I do know who the brown-haired trainer is," Chris remarked. "That brown-haired trainer would be-"

"May," Brendan said quietly, staring into the distance.

"Exactly!" Chris retorted. "How did you guess ..." he trailed off as he saw what Brendan was gazing at. He frowned at the sight of May and Koran advancing on them. "Well, they found us then," the spiky-haired boy trainer stated quietly, reaching for a Pokeball on his belt. "Do you want me to battle her-"

"No. You take care of that shaggy-haired Aqua Member," Brendan replied, "and I'll take care of May."

"But won't she get mad at you?" Chris dared to ask.

"It's possible," Brendan answered. "Okay, so it's very likely that she will. But I don't know. It's just one of those things that I have to do, you know? Like you know you shouldn't but you can't help but do it anyway. It's like ... eating an insect. You know you shouldn't but you just wanna know what it tastes like. Or it's like-"

"I get it already!" Chris interrupted him, waiting for the two Aqua Admins to come up their way. "Meanwhile, back in the real world, we've got two very angry looking Aqua Members coming up our way. So are you going to send out a Pokemon or do you want to fight them yourself, hands on?"

"Your sarcasm bugs me sometimes," Brendan retorted back weakly. He got out a Pokeball and smirked. "Now, I've got a battle that I never did get to finish. Come on out, Muddy! Time to end the battle with May!"

"That white-haired dude just sent out a Swampert," Koran remarked as the two Aqua Members got closer to the Magma Members. "So, am I going to be the one fighting your friend or-"

"Um, I'll fight Brendan," May answered. "I think we need to finish our battle, and it's just a thing I have to do, ya know? Like you know you shouldn't do it but you can't help but do it anyway. It's like ... touching those little foam, battery-powered fans that don't have that cover thing. You know you shouldn't touch it but you can't help but see if it hurts. Or it's like-"

"Dude, I get it," Koran murmured. "Meanwhile, we've got two Magma Admins up ahead with one Pokemon out already." The surfer-trainer released his Totodile, dubbed Azu, out of its Pokeball. He sighed. "Are you really sure you're up for this, dude? He is your friend after all and wounds between friends are the hardest to heal."

"I'm sure, Koran, I'm sure," May replied. "Like I've said, this is just a thing I have to do. Like-"

"We don't need to go into that entire thing again, dude. Let's go then."

"Right," May agreed as the two trainers made they way to the two Magma Admins. She enlarged a Pokeball and prepared herself for battle.

"They're coming!" Brendan shouted, alarmed.

"Nah, that's just your eyes fooling you by zooming in," Chris retorted sarcastically. "Of course they're coming! They're not just going to stand there all day after all!"

May and Koran soon reached the waiting Team Magma Members. Tension filled the air, coming down on them like the rain. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the set of trainers continued to glare at each other.

May was the one that broke the silence. "I choose you, Flare!" She released her Blaziken. "Hopefully, that knock to the head by Maxie's Mightyena didn't hurt you too bad."

"If it's a battle you want, then it's a battle you get! Let's finish the battle that we started inside the Weather Institution! Muddy!" Brendan pointed at the battlefield.

"Fire attacks aren't going to do me any good here in the rain," May muttered under her breath. "We're just going to have to use your physical strength then! Use your Double Kick, Flare!"

Flare jumped up into the air and landed a hard blow on Muddy's head with one of her powerful legs. She landed back on the ground and spun around, knocking the Swampert off of his feet.

"Muddy!" Brendan cried out worriedly. "Are you alright, buddy?"

Muddy groaned and slowly, yet steadily, got back on his feet. He got back into a battle stance and glared at the Blaziken. Flare, in return, only smiled mockingly and flared up her claws in red and orange flames.

"You're gonna have to do better than that to defeat Muddy and me!" Brendan cried triumphantly, a small smirk plastered on his face.

"Ha, right back at ya, pal," May retaliated. "Flare, jump up in the air and knock Muddy back down with another Double Kick now!"

Flare nodded her head and jumped back up into the air, one leg out raised to knock down the Swampert at the head.

"Not this time ya don't! Muddy, grab a hold of Flare's leg and slam her down!" Brendan commanded, no hint of remorse in his voice.

Muddy ducked, dodging Flare's first kick and managed to take hold of Flare's other leg before she managed to get the second kick in. Surprised, Flare fired up her body in blue-white flames, but Muddy was quicker than that and slammed Flare into the ground and swiftly letting go before getting burned himself. The Blaziken groaned in agony as she rolled onto her and jumped back up onto her feet. Quicker than the human eye, Flare punched Muddy across the face, leaving a dark red mark the size of a fist on the Swampert's face.

Angered, Muddy retaliated back and tackled into Flare, bringing them both down into the ground. Flare, in return, pushed Muddy off of her and kicked him way across the battle field with a powerful swipe of her leg. The Swamp Pokemon got back up though, tiredness beginning to kick in. He didn't give in though and slammed one mighty foot into the ground, the world around both Pokemon and trainers shaking underneath them. The attack was no other than Earthquake.

Flare though wasn't effected by the ground type attack even though she was a fire type. She fortunately jumped up high and landed in the safety of a tree though she still was a little shaken up by the attack.

Muddy growled furiously, madden by the fact that his attack didn't knock the Blaziken out. He ran toward the tree and head butted it, causing the Raging Fire Pokemon to fall out on her back. The Swampert stepped on her repeatedly until Flare had enough and slashed at the bottom of his foot. Muddy howled in pain and hopped on one foot, trying to rid himself of the awful burning feeling in his foot.

Brendan and May at the time were quite surprised by their Pokemon's reactions to the battle. The two scarcely physically fought outside of battle, and even then, it took the trainers to tell them to attack. What sparked up the tension between them was a mystery, but for now they didn't care as long as they won.

"Alright now. Muddy, use your Mud Shot and finish off Flare!" Brendan ordered as Muddy placed both feet back on the ground.

"Like that's going to happen! Flare, Fire Punch now!" May quickly countered.

Muddy took in a deep inhale of breath and blew out a strong, sticky jet of mud while Flare dodged the jets of mud and flared up her claws in red-orange flames. The air was tense with anticipation as Flare grew closer to her foe, the flames on her claws growing despite the element of rain beating down on her. With a final gasp of breath, Muddy spotted, Muddy aimed, and Muddy fired, shooting down the Blaziken before her sharps claws even took a swipe on him.

Flare, surprised by the attack, fell backwards and skid, finally stopping when she crashed into a nearby tree. Tired, the Blaziken tried to get back up but thanks to the battle earlier, she blacked out.

May gasped. "With most of my Pokemon tired, it's going to be hard to win this fight!" she exclaimed as she returned Flare.

"Then let me help, dude!" Koran remarked. "Let's go, Azu! Water Gun that Swamp-"

"Oh no you don't!" Chris interrupted the surfer trainer. "You're fighting me! Come on out, Charcoal, and use your Flamethrower attack on that Totodile!"

Charcoal, a Charizard with a fiery temple to boot, roared angrily as soon as he exited his Pokeball because of the raindrops that pelted him on the head. With a furious swish of his wings, he took off into the air and blew out a strong jet of orange-red flames that disintegrated before it even reached Koran's Totodile.

"Dude, you're going to have do better than that!" Koran retaliated back as Azu stuck out his tongue out at the Charizard. "Now, Azu. Use your Water Gun attack!"

"Dodge it, Charcoal, by flying up high!" Chris countered quickly.

Azu took in a deep breath of air and shot out a rather powerful jet of water that might have been able to knock out Charcoal if he hadn't flown up high to dodge the attack.

"Now while you're up there Charcoal, Seismic Toss!" Chris ordered.

The Charizard smirked and dive-bombed into the waiting Totodile, his arms spread opened wide. Azu tried to dodge the fast moving Charizard but to no luck as Charcoal scooped him into his paws. The fire type flew up high, way above the battlefield and began to fly in a circle, dizzying the poor Totodile. Charcoal roared in triumphant and dived back down towards the ground, throwing Azu in the process. The Totodile collided head-first into the dirt, knocking him out instantly.

"Is that any better?" Chris laughed, smirking.

"Azu, return!" Chris returned his fallen friend and whispered words of thanks into his Pokeball. He then glared daggers at the Magma Admin, but he kept his cool as he switched Pokeballs on his belt.

Meanwhile on the other battlefield, Brendan and May were busy in their own fight.

"Muddy!" Brendan pointed his Swampert out towards the battlefield. "Let's make this fight quick! Use your Take Down attack and bring Tai down now!"

Muddy growled and sprinted towards the Swellow but at the last minute, Tai evaded causing Muddy to miss and ram himself into a nearby tree. Muddy grumbled and pushed himself off, ready to take down the Swallow Pokemon once again. But like last time, Tai evaded, leaving behind a very angry Swampert.

"He's too fast for us!" Brendan groaned. "Gotta think, gotta think, gotta thing!"

"Tai, use your Wing Attack now!" May commanded while Brendan was thinking of strategies.

"Maybe if we get mud on Tai's wings, it'll slow him down," Brendan thought out loud. That's it! Muddy, when Tai is in range, use your Mud Shot attack and aim at his wings to slow him down!"

Muddy nodded and prepared himself in a battle stance. Tai was zooming at him at an alarmingly fast pace, his wings outstretched wide to smack the Swampert upside the head. Just about when the tips of Tai's wings began to graze Muddy's face, Muddy retaliated fast and shot out a strong, sticky jet of gooey mud, shooting down the bird into the wet earth. The Swellow chirped angrily and tried to fly back up into the air but to no avail; his wings were weighed down by mud.

"While he's down, Muddy! Take Down attack now!" Brendan commanded.

Muddy rocketed towards the Swallow Pokemon despite his large size and rammed into him, bring poor Tai down along with him. The two collided into the rocky yet wet ground, Swampert on top, Swellow on bottom. Muddy smirked and got back up onto his two back feet, staring down at the flat-as-a-pancake Tai. Tai wasn't there but way above Muddy's head though, ready to dive bomb into him.

"Now Tai! Wing Attack!" May commanded, confidence in her voice.

Tai chirped and swooped down on the un-expecting Swampert and slapped him across the head in a flurry of red and blue feathers. Muddy, startled by the sudden attack, blinked twice, a small red gash on his cheek appearing. He grumbled in anger and when Tai came flying back for another round of Wing Attacks, Muddy smacked him with a closed fist, bringing the bird down.

The Swellow though was not fazed by this as he flew back into the air, the mud on his wings gone thanks to the pouring rain.

"Use Aerial Ace, Tai!" May ordered, the surety in her voice rising.

Tai nodded and flew back towards the Swampert. With a swipe of his beak, he left another small red gash on Muddy's face. The Mudfish Pokemon was also bewildered by this attack; in fact, he didn't see it coming thanks to the Swellow's incredible agility. He blinked twice again and fell backward, tired, fainted and defeated.

"Return, Muddy!" Brendan recalled his blacked-out Pokemon back into his Pokeball and whispered words of gratitude through it. He changed Pokeballs on his belt and threw his next Pokeball towards the lake area. This Pokemon could only be: "Sapphire, use your Thunderbolt attack and shoot Tai down!" Brendan ordered as soon as Sapphire, a Lanturn, came out.

Sapphire landed with a small splash in the lake and immediately charged up her beacon with volts of electricity. Aiming carefully, Sapphire shot out a powerful surge of electric power, her target: Tai.

Tai was smoother and swifter than that and easily dodged the lightning bolts with his amazing velocity.

"There has got to be an easier way to slow down Tai!" Brendan groaned through clenched teeth. "But what?"

May took Brendan's hesitation to her advantage. "Now Tai! Use Quick Attack!"

The Swellow chirped in understand and dove downwards towards the Lanturn. Ramming into her, Tai flew backwards and flipped backwards, flying on his back. Once again, he thwacked Sapphire once again. Sapphire, in response, tried to dive underwater but Tai kept hitting her, keeping her head above water.

_Even if Tai is quicker, it doesn't mean he can evade easier,_ Brendan thought in his head. _That's it!_

"Sapphire, stay calm and watch out for Tai, k?"

Sapphire nodded and stood her ground, taking Tai's quick hits.

"Wait for it," Brendan muttered under his breath.

"Tai! Keep using your Quick Attack!" May instructed. "Hopefully, it will eventually wear Sapphire down!"

"Ha, you wish!" Brendan retorted, hearing May's remark. He spotted Tai dive-bombing towards his Pokemon. "Okay, Sapphire! Thunderbolt now!" he commanded jubilantly.

May gasped in alarm. "Hurry, Tai! Try and avoid it!" she commanded.

Too late; the Swellow was too close to Sapphire to dodge her sparks of electricity. Tai was zapped and he fell down, twirling in the sky like a twister before landing with a loud splash in the lake.

"Now, Sapphire! Finish Tai off with Spark!" Brendan ordered triumphantly.

Sapphire nodded and swam towards the fallen Swellow, her beacon sparking with crackling electric power. She tackled Tai out of the water and onto the sodden grass, sparks crackling off of his smothered-down feathers. With a small flap of his wings, the Swallow Pokemon slowly hovered back up only to fall back down, swirls in his eyes, a clear sign that he fainted from fatigue.

"Oh! Tai, return!" May recalled her Pokemon back to his Pokeballs and whispered words of praise to him. She switched Pokeballs and glared at the white-haired trainer. "Think you're hot stuff, Birch?"

Brendan only shrugged, "Depends. How hot do you think I am?"

"And what's _that _suppose to mean?" May demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

Brendan laughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Nothing, May," he responded coolly. His ruby-red eyes flashed with playfulness as he asked, "So are we just going to stand out here in the rain or are we going to finish this battle?"

May only glowered at Brendan, annoyed with his playful personality at the time of battle. She enlarged the Pokeball she had in hand and threw it toward the battlefield. "Come on out, Skittles! Use Sing now!"

Skittles, a Delcatty, appeared in a blaze of white light. Opening her mouth, a sweet and enchanting song came out, spellbinding her opponent in a deep sleep. Sapphire floated in the lake's water, the rain causing her electrified beacon to crackle every now and then.

"Okay, Skittles! Assist attack now!" May commanded, a small smile planted on her face.

Skittles and a random Pokeball on May's belt grew a violent shade of red before dying down. The cat Pokemon opened her mouth once again and charged up a red and yellow energy ball, a Dragon Rage attack. The attack crackled in her mouth and she finally shot it out, its mark the sleeping Sapphire. Sapphire though, woke up a split second later and managed to avoid most of the attack though the top of her head was burnt thanks to the attack. She cried out and swam around in circles before fainting.

"Sapphire, return!" Brendan recalled his Lanturn and threw another Pokeball, revealing the tall form of a Kadabra.

"That's right. I didn't faint Kadabra; I only sent him back to his Pokeball," May groaned as she cussed under her breath. "Fine, we can handle it right, Skittles? It's not like Kadabra is fully healed after all right?"

Skittles nodded, glared ice cold daggers at her foe. Kadabra only stared dully at the hissing cat and twirled his cerebral spoon, the red star in the middle of his forehead glowing with power.

But before Brendan or May could command their Pokemon to attack, a thick cloud of white smoke engulfed them, choking them with its heavy blankets of fog.

"Who's that, dude?" Koran asked as he saw a shadow of a man appear in the clouds of smoke.

Chris returned his Pokemon to his Pokeball, Koran following suit. "I know who," he answered. "Maxie ... again."

"Who's that?" May asked as she pointed towards the shadow closing in on the four trainers. She returned Skittles to her Pokeball. "Is that-"

"Yup," Brendan nodded as he returned Kadabra back to his Pokeball. "Chris, what do you think he wants with us this time?"

The other boy trainer shrugged and shook his head. "I'm not sure actually, Birch. He sometimes likes to come up in the middle of battles to freak Magma members out. Perhaps he wants the information or something though; I don't know. If I were you though, you guys, I would be on your guard."

"Mr. Birch," Maxie said in a calm and cool voice, yet it left shivers on Brendan's skin. "It has been awhile, hasn't it?"

"If you call a hour awhile, then yes. Yes it has," Brendan replied just as coolly, pocketing his hands into his pockets.

"Do you have the," Maxie glared at both May and Koran and spat at their shoes, "information?"

"Perhaps," Brendan answered, his eyes glaring daggers into Maxie's own.

"Ha, giving me attitude are you, Birch?" Maxie laughed mockingly. "Reminds me of myself when I was a younger trainer like you. Who knows how your future is going to turn out."

"And what's _that _suppose to mean?" Brendan inquired angrily.

Maxie only laughed again. "Nothing, Brendan, my boy. Nothing at all. Now as for the information?" He held out a hand for Brendan to place the papers in.

Chris walked slowly over to Brendan and gave him the folded up papers. Brendan took the papers but instead of handing them to the Team Magma Leader, he ripped them up and dropped them to the ground. With a triumphant smirk, he stomped on them, crushing the papers underneath his foot.

Maxie, despite his usual calm and collected demeanor, was surprised at this and glared at the white-haired trainer. "And why did you do that for, Birch? Was the information faulty?"

"Nope," Brendan retaliated with an edge in his voice. "It was all one-hundred percent accurate, Maxie. Everything was true."

"And yet you rip it up, Birch?"

"Yes, sir. Yes I did. You see, I don't like working for manipulators, especially power hungry ones. Ones that lie to have things their way. You lied to me, and I didn't appreciate that. So I quit."

"Ha, Birch. You can't quit," Maxie remarked, a small smirk lingering on his face.

"And why can't I?" Brendan demanded to know.

"Once you become my puppet, you always will be my puppet. I will always be there to pull your strings, to make you dance. There is no way to cut yourself down, there is no way to escape your fate," Maxie answered icily. He turned his head and glared at Chris. "The same goes for you, Admin Chris! I know about your little rebellion you're planning with a few other members! I didn't know you cared so little for your younger sister."

"Leave my sister out of this!" Chris bellowed, his fists clenching in anger.

Maxie snorted in response and turned his attention back toward Brendan. "Now as for you, Admin Brendan, you stay on my team, and you'll be fine. You try to rebel like Admin Chris over here, and you'll end up at a funeral very soon. Think about it." With that, the Team Magma Leader turned around and walked away.

Brendan growled and kicked the ground, mud splashing all over his shoes. "I hate him," he muttered.

"What?" Chris asked as he walked over to Brendan's side.

"I HATE HIM!" Brendan screamed into the stormy gray sky. He collapsed onto his knees and stared down at the ground. "I .. I don't know what to do any-"

"May! Where are you going?" Koran interrupted as May ran down the dirt path.

Brendan looked up and saw his companion run down the path. Sighing, he got back up to his feet and followed after her.

"Dude, where are _you _going?" Chris asked as Brendan began to take off after her. "She is part of Team Aqua after all."

"I know," Brendan retorted as he stopped dead in his tracks, his head bowed down. "But that Team Aqua Admin, as you stated, is also my best friend. And best friends don't leave their friends out in the rain." And with that, the boy trainer took off to follow the girl trainer leaving behind the Team Aqua and Magma Admins.

Chris blinked as Koran walked next to his side. He then turned toward him. "Uh ... Hi, I'm Chris, Team Magma Admin. You?"

* * *

"May! May, wait up!" Brendan chased after the girl trainer, ignoring the rain drops that dropped down hard on him. "Why are you running away from me? Why does this always happen?"

"Why?" May turned around and marched up to Brendan. "You ask me why this always happens? I'll tell you, Brendan Birch! You scare me, not because it's you in particular, but what you're doing! Joining Team Magma, for Latias's sake! I told you that they were bad news!"

"Well _excuse_ me for doing something that I wanted to do!" Brendan tried to keep his cool but was failing. He knew that Team Magma wasn't the best team to be on at the moment, but the fact that May was trying to control his life is what got him pissed. "You don't control my life, May Maple; you can't tell me what to do!"

"I'm only thinking of what's best for you!" May retaliated back, trying to hold back her tears.

"What's best for me is for you to stay out of my life!" Brendan shouted in return, trying to ignore the girl trainer that was on the verge of crying. "If I want to join a team that you don't like then so be it! Sure, maybe I'll go to hell because I made the 'little, innocent angel' over here angry and gloomy, but it's my choice! What I do is up to me!"

"I only care for you, Brendan! I don't want to see you hurt!" May cried, her tears mixing in with the rain. "Maxie! He ... he-"

"Why do you care so much for me?" Brendan dared question. "I know we were – or use to be – best friends but why does it matter? How come you ... Why?"

"Because!" May retorted over the roars of thunder clouds. "You mean a lot to me, Brendan Birch. It hurts a lot when you know something isn't going to happen." The girl trainer sighed as she turned around and began to walk the other way.

"I don't understand, May," Brendan said softly as he stared at the back of May's head. "What isn't going to happen?"

May stopped in her tracks. She sighed again but didn't turn around, tears beginning to form in what use to be her joyful, sapphire-blue eyes again. "Even the heart can tell lies, Brendan," she started. "Wonderful, blissful, enchanting lies that can make any girl believe anything. That's the problem though; I did believe it. And there's no way that I can take it back."

And with that, the girl trainer turned around and ran down the pathway. But what she didn't expect was that Brendan wouldn't follow her.

I guess what she said was actually true.

* * *

Sorry if shorter than usual!

Battle scenes suck in this chapter IMO lol. But I always say that don't I? So sick of battle scenes.

No review responses today if you guys don't mind. Breezy's a lazy, lazy girl!

Muddy: Awesome!

Whatever. Anyway, I've got fifty pages of reviews! You guys seriously rox my sox! Speaking of reviews though, I'm going to delete the last few review responses in the last few chapters ('cept maybe the ones in the 40's, I dunno) since they take too much room. Tomorrow is the anniversary for HLBMA, so there is going to be special up I promise! Even if I have to ditch summer school tomorrow. _:smirks:_ I don't see a problem with that. Do you?

Flare: Haha, yeah right. You only have two hours left of ditching time before you get kicked out.

Dammit! Ah well, I'll figure it out some how.

Muddy: GET ME A PRESENT BY THE WAY! YOU ONLY HAVE A DAY LEFT!

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	36. HLBMA Special

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon.

**YAY! ITS HLBMA'S ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY TODAY! 7/29**

Muddy: Congrats to us; we're still alive!

Flare: Damn right we are!

-.-; Well, thanks, ya guys! Breezy still lives, even though she sometimes got pissy writing this. Four re-edits, forty-four chapters and only four flames. Maybe less, maybe more. I don't know, but I'm surprised I didn't get a lot of flames. I thought I would.

It's also Muddy's and Flare's birthday too.

Muddy: _:smiles really big:_ YAH! MUDDY! YOU'RE ANOTHER YEAR OLDER!

Flare: But not another year wiser.

Muddy: That, Flare, is true.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy this side-track chapter of Muddy and Flare's b-day celebration! Maybe you were invited!

Muddy: Haha. _:stops laughing:_

Flare: -.-

Well, I'm co-writing with my friend Joey again (he's the guy that wrote the x-mas special last time) because ... Well he forced me too 'cause as he states, "I'm the one that taught you had to write!" and yada yada like that.

Joey: It's true, Jamie! I taught this girl everything she knows about writing!

Whatever. Anyway, if you guys think I suck at writing, blame him. _:smirks:_

Joey: ...

And if writing styles just change suddenly, that's when you'll know that we switched writing. So um, enjoy.

**Random Fact of the Story****: **Muddy was suppose to be sarcastic one while Flare would be a happy-go-luck Blaziken. Scary huh?

* * *

**HLBMA Special**

**

* * *

**

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUDDY!" a very cheerful Delcatty named Skittles stated as she met Muddy at the HLBMA set.

"Thanks, Skit!" Muddy replied back just as happily. "So, where's my present?"

"Haha, you're so funny, Muddy!" Skittles giggled as she and the Swampert began to walk down the hall to the HLBMA set.

Muddy laughed as well as they walked down the long set of stairs. "Seriously, where is it?"

Today, on a bright and glorious afternoon, we find Muddy, the semi-stupid Swampert, on his birthday, July twenty-ninth to be exact. Unfortunately, both he and Flare, the other birthday girl, have to work on HLBMA seeing as that biznatchy author Breezy is making them work. Damn, that girl is such a jerk, not letting two helpless Pokemon have the day off! At least she could have given them a pay raise or something! What an as-

(If you don't shut up, Joey, I'm going to kick you out of my story along with that butt of yours.)

... Fair enough. Anyway, that's why Muddy and Flare think at the most part. What they don't realize at the set, there's going to be a – well, I think I'll let you see for yourself.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Sirius, Cherry, Silver and the rest of the Pokemon that work on HLBMA screamed as they blew party favors and threw multi-colored confetti everywhere.

" Latios!" Muddy yelled in surprise. "Who's birthday is it? I hope I got them a present!"

"It's yours, silly!" Skittles giggled in response.

"Mine? It's my birthday TODAY?" Muddy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! Why else would you ask me if I had a birthday present for you?" the Delcatty questioned.

"I don't know. I thought it was just small talk," Muddy retorted, shrugging.

"Of course. Only Muddy would think that." Sapphire rolled her eyes.

"If it's my birthday, where's Flare? It's her birthday too after all." Muddy brought up a good fact. Where is the six foot tall Blaziken anyway?

(I wouldn't know, Jojo. You're the one typing.)

Did you know that author notes ruins the story, Jay Jay?

(Did you know talking back to the author notes is even worse? I mean, you could just ignore the ranting author. But that's just me and my random thoughts.)

Shut up. Back to the story, we find the Pokemon in a heated argument.

"I told you to get both Muddy _and_ Flare, Skittles!" Sirius barked, angered by the cat.

"No you didn't! You said Muddy, not Flare!" Skittles mewed back, also infuriated by the hyena Pokemon. "So HA! You lose, I win!"

"I said Muddy AND Flare you ... you cat!" Sirius shouted furiously. "You just wanted to walk alone with ... with that thing standing in the doorway with a confused expression on his face!"

"Well, that was a mouthful," Tai muttered, slowly edging his way toward Cherry.

"One step closer and you're dead!" Cherry remarked, a perky smile plastered on her face as she said that.

"Girls."

"And another thing! I ... I don't like the cake you picked out! There's no cookies in it!" Sirius shouted, almost head to head with Skittles. "Sure, there's chocolate! Sure, there's ice cream, but where are the cookies dammit? NO COOKIES, NO EAT, NO COOKIES, NO EAT! EVERYONE CHANT WITH ME!"

"Hell no! There's more cake for me if you don't eat it!" Silver replied hungrily.

"Thermo!" Sirius noticed the new Pokemon on the set, Thermo the Castform. "Chant with me! I will teach you my ways."

"But, um, why do we need cookies on a cake?" Thermo asked innocently.

Sirius raised his eyes. "Why do we need cookies on a cake?" he asked, bewildered. "Because they're good of course! I mean, who doesn't like cookies?"

Muddy smirked. "You don't apparently because you told m-"

"That's a lie!" Sirius interrupted. "You just keep making up lies to make me look bad!"

"I know," Muddy laughed. "Is it working yet?"

Without the other – how many Pokemon are at the party. Jay Jay?

(_:counts:_ Hmm. A lot.)

A lot isn't a number.

(It is now.)

In who's world?

(Mine.)

You annoy me sometimes.

(Ditto here, dude.)

Anyway, how many? I can't say a lot.

(Say it.)

No.

(Say it!)

No!

(_:points to foot:_)

O.o Okay, okay, sheesh. Anyway, the other Pokemon – the whole "a lot" of them which doesn't make sense in my opinion – haven't noticed one of their friends walk in the doorway. Hovering over the six foot range with a sarcastic personality to match-

(How does being tall and being sarcastic match?)

-it's none other than Flare! Needless to say, she felt very welcome at the party with a clueless Swampert standing next to her, a Delcatty and Mightyena at each others necks, a Beautifly trying to get away from a Swellow, a Ninjask staring hungrily at a birthday cake and the others just watching them, amused. Sighing, she stated sarcastically,

"Well, happy birthday to me too!"

Gotta love that sarcasm. Anyway-

(You still haven't answered my question!)

About?

(What height and sarcasm have to do with each other.)

Simple. I don't know. As I was saying, the Pokemon immediately looked at the doorway to find one of the main stars staring at them with eyes filled with dullness and amusement in some sort of ways.

"Uh, happy birthday, Flare!" Skittles yelled cheerfully. "Now as for you, mutt." She glared at Sirius.

"Mutt?" Sirius roared as he too began to glower icy daggers at the Delcatty.

"Mmm ... cake," Silver buzzed happily, his mouth smeared with frosting.

"You ate the cake?" Cherry questioned angrily, noticing the cake smudged on the Ninjask's face.

"'Course not!" Silver scoffed. "Just most of it."

"Silver!"

"What?"

"Well, happy birthday to us!" Flare stated sarcastically again as both Muddy and she exited the set. "I'm guessing we don't have work today which is a big plus ... I guess."

"I didn't get a present!" Muddy whined, tears forming in his eyes.

"Oh, Latias. Bemired, suck it up! You can be so selfish sometimes." Flare rolled her eyes as the two began to walk up the sets. They passed the Muddy & Flare set. "I'm sure we got presents; they were just too occupied in their argument, so stop whining about it."

"Shut up, Flarember! They ate our cake too! I have every reason to whine!" Muddy grumbled. "All of it! Silver only left one piece left which by now he probably ate!"

"That's true; he could have at least save us a layer of cake," Flare agreed. "After all, it is our birthday!"

"Exactly!" Muddy snapped his fingers – or what appeared to be his fingers – and looked at the Blaziken. "You know, some friends we have! Did you notice only like ... eight Pokemon were there? Sirius, Skittles, Cherry, Tai, Ninjask, Sapphire, and Thermo! Where was Midnight? Where was Charcoal? Where was ... anyone? Hell, even Geiko didn't come, and he's part of the starters package!"

"Seriously!" Flare retorted. "You know what we should do?"

"Get them all fired!" Muddy answered triumphantly.

"No! We should celebrate our birthday our way!" Flare replied. "We can do whatever we want. We're the stars after all, right?"

"Right!" Muddy nodded as the two passed the Who Shot Brendan Birch? set.

"And we have the day off supposedly right?"

"Right!"

"So what do you want to do?"

"Change a light bulb!"

Flare smacked Muddy upside the head. "Wrong! Let's go out and have some fun!" she answered for him.

Muddy looked at the new set of Realizing Fate. "I don't know, Flare," he stated. "I know I'm stupid, and I shouldn't make sense, but isn't it kind of wrong to leave our friends back there, eating our cookie-less cake, arguing about whether Sirius is a hyena or mutt, having a bird chase a butterfly around and having them hold our unwrapped gifts?"

"Yeah. Yeah I guess you're right," Flare remarked as she turned around.

"And where are you going?" Muddy asked.

"Back to our so-called party?" Flare answered, unsure.

"I never said we we're going back; I just said it's wrong. Never said we were going to do the right thing." Muddy smirked as he opened the doors of the building. "I say we ditch that party and have some real fun!"

"Now that's the Muddy I grew to hate!" Flare laughed as she and the Swampert exited the doors.

Meanwhile at the party, the eight Pokemon were still arguing, chasing each other and eating the cookie-less cake. None of them realized that the two Pokemon the party was suppose to be thrown for were missing, and I kind of doubt that they actually cared too. But that's just me; what about you? What do you think?

(What? Do you think they're going to answer you?)

Do you want me to lock you in the closet again?

(No. o.O)

Then I suggest you shut up.

(You always say that, but you know I don't listen _:smiles:_)

Gawd. No wonder your pen name is Breezy; you don't listen.

(Actually, I picked Breezy because breezy means carefree, and I'm carefree, and I like the wind and yada yada ya. 'Sides, what does that have to do with not listening anyway? Your logic ceases to surprise me with its stupdity.)

It's stupidity, stupid. You missed an I.

(That is why I was blessed with a spell checker. Besides, I can spell! You just took the keyboard away when I was typing that last word. And why the heck do you keep stalling, Jojo! Type, you fool, type!)

See what I have to work with people?

(Hey, you're the one that wanted to work with me, not vice versa.)

Anyway, Sirius and Skittles were back at each other's throats so to speak. Skittles was biting Sirius at the throat while Sirius was using his leg to kick her off. Silver just finished the last of the cookie-less cake and was buzzing around the room, hyper, sugar running through his veins. Meanwhile, Cherry was still trying to get away from the flirty-yet-hasn't-had-a-date-yet-Swellow. But who really cares about the Pokemon that didn't care about the two Pokemon that didn't care about going to their careless party anyway? Let's go back to Muddy and Flare shall we? Why, you dare ask? Because we care.

* * *

"I'm bored, Flare!" Muddy complained as the two walked down the crowded street, stopping every now and then to sign a Pokemon fan's autograph book. "We should have stayed at our careless party thrown by the Pokemon that don't really give a care about the Pokemon that don't care about their careless party."

"Would you rather watch a Pokemon eat our cake instead of signing autographs by Pokemon that actually care?" Flare asked, waving off a pair of smirking Charmelons.

"Well, that's two more for the book." Muddy pulled out a little black book and marked two more on Flare's side of the list. "Honestly, Flare. Do you secretly know Attract and use it on guy Pokemon or something?"

"Course not. They just ... like me for some strange reason," Flare replied modestly.

"Sure they do." Muddy raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Anyway, I guess you're right. Silver could have opened our presents by now if we stayed, and I don't think my poor little heart could take it!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Flare took out a present. "Happy birthday, Bemired Muddy Swampert!"

"For me?" Muddy mocked a surprised Pokemon. "Aw, Flare! You shouldn't have!"

"Course I should have! You're my best friend!" Flare replied as the two walked down past a coffee shop.

"No, really. You shouldn't have. I didn't get you a present," Muddy stated, staring at the dark blue wrapping paper tied with a light blue ribbon.

"Oh," Flare stated, a little down-fallen.

"Ha, Flare! Just kidding!" Muddy pulled out a red and orange present and handed it the Blaziken. "And you're the one that called me selfish! Ha, Flare, ha!"

"Oh shut up and open the present!" Flare laughed, untying the orange ribbon.

Muddy was less ... gentle with his present and tore the wrapping paper off, ribbons and all. He threw the lid off the bare box, revealing orange tissue paper.

"Wow, Flare! I always wanted tissue paper!" Muddy smirked, noticing the several sheets of paper that Flare used to hide his present.

"Shut up once again!" Flare couldn't help but smile as she finished untying her box. She then slowly began to remove the tape that sealed the wrapping paper.

"It's not ice cream, Flare; you don't have to savor the moment!" Muddy regarded, digging his paw into the box, looking for his present.

"Okay, okay, fine." Flare rolled her eyes and ripped the red wrapping paper off the box. She pulled the lid off and was greeted with several sheets of yellow tissue paper. "Hey, have you noticed that we used the colors that match us?"

"Of course not; I'm clueless." Muddy pulled out a Mystic Water pendant. "Awesome, you got me a present!"

"No really, Muddy. Ya think?"

"Not lately," the Swampert admitted as she shook the pendant. The water in the tiny jar sparkled brightly in the sunlight. "Awesome." He placed the Mystic Water around his neck as he waited impatiently for Flare to take out her present.

"There's more in there, ya know," Flare pointed out, slowly moving the yellow tissue paper around.

"Alright!" Muddy quickly diverted his eyes from Flare's present opening to his own. He dug in the box and pulled out a book. "A book?" Muddy asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, you read it, not eat it," Flare pointed out. "Read the title."

"World Domination for Dummies ..." Muddy trailed off and smiled. "Awesome, Flare! You shouldn't have!"

"Seeing as I know that you probably couldn't succeed anyway, I was like, 'What the heck?'" Flare replied, smiling as well.

"Well, thanks!" Muddy stated sardonically.

"No prob, Mud Boy!" Flare retorted as she pulled out her present. She gasped in delight. "Aw, you got me a Torchic doll! How did you know I wanted one?"

"I guessed." Muddy shrugged. The two were about to pass a trash can, and Muddy was ready to throw his box away when Flare declared,

"There's one more gift in there."

"Whoa, this is like Mary Poppins style!" Muddy remarked, reaching into the box again.

Mary Poppins indeed as Muddy pulled out another present.

(Haha, you said indeed! You're old! _:points at Joey and laughs:_)

... The Swampert eyed Flare weirdly as he looked at his third gift. He dared ask,

"What is it?"

Flare looked at Muddy in disbelief. "It's a best friend charm!"

"What do think of me? A girl? Only girls have these best friend charm things!"

"Who says that?" Flare asked, ruffling her feathers a bit.

"I did!" Muddy retorted back.

Flare pulled out her own half of the charm and sighed. "Look at what your charm is," she said.

Muddy squinted and stared at his half of the charm. "A ... Torchic?" He then looked at Flare's own half. "How come I get the Torchic and you get the Mudkip?"

Flare took Muddy's piece and connected them together. "Because its just one of those things where you shouldn't have what you should have had in order for you to have it."

"Que?" Muddy asked, using one of the Spanish words he learned one day.

Flare sighed again. "What I mean is that one day we're not going to be working together so when you're feeling lonely you can look at that charm and remember all the good times we've had together working at HLBMA. That's why you get the Torchic and I get the Mudkip." She handed back Muddy's piece of the charm and pocketed her own. "Anyway, that's why."

"Ah," was all Muddy said as he too pocketed his charm.

The two walked in the golden silence as they walked out of the busy streets of Main Street and into the rolling green hills.

"There's more in there ya know," Muddy said quietly as he stared straight ahead of him.

"Oh. Well thanks," Flare replied just as soundlessly.

Both Swampert and Blaziken walked across the smooth, fresh-smelling grass, silence choking them. But to me, this is getting rather boring. Who wants to watch two Pokemon walk and be quiet? Let's go on back to the careless – or _BREEZY_ as Jamie states what her pen name means – party that was suppose to be thrown for Muddy and Flare.

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Midnight said happily as she, Charcoal, and Thunderbolt entered the HLBMA set. "Sorry we're late. We had to do some last minute .." she trailed off, watching what was going on. "... Rehearsing for Muddy and Flare ... What the hell is going on here?"

"Midnight!" Sirius yelped in surprise. He stared at his ex-girlfriend. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was invited." Midnight waved the invitation in Sirius's face. "Where's Muddy and Flare? This party is for them after all right?"

"Yeah, we got our presents and everything!" Charcoal added, waving his present in the air.

"Yeah, I actually went down that stupid set of stairs to be here too!" Thunderbolt remarked, carrying his present on his back.

"Where did Muddy and Flare go, you guys?" Cherry asked, perching herself on a prop tree branch, Tai following suit. "They were here just awhile ago, weren't they?"

"I think they left because you guys we're fighting!" Silver shouted, glaring at Skittles and Sirius. "Good job, you two! You made the birthday boy and girl run away! Idiots."

"Hey! You're the one that ate their cake!" Skittles retaliated sharply.

"At least I didn't fight! At least what I did was related to their birthday!" Silver shot back.

"You guys, enough fighting already!" Sapphire begged. "It's bad enough that Muddy and Flare left already. We don't need to add on to our problems right now! I think we should find them!"

At least the Pokemon at the careless party realized that the two Pokemon they we're throwing the party for couldn't careless about their party.

(Okay, that joke about the careless thing died like five minutes ago, yet you keep trying to bring it back alive.)

It's better than nothing I suppose. Anyway, in a mad hunt to find the two birthday Pokemon, Sirius, Skittles, Tai and the others left the set and went down the many halls of the corporation, hunting as if they were the predator and Muddy and Flare were the prey. But to no luck; the two were no where in sight.

"Where are those two? They wouldn't just leave like that right?" Skittles mewed sadly.

"Aw, miss Muddy?" Sirius laughed mockingly, smirking.

"Shut up, Sirius!" the Delcatty hissed.

"You guys ..." Sapphire groaned.

"We're not going to find them arguing like this!" Midnight pointed out. "They probably went out to town. I say we split up and look for them there."

"Do you know how big this town is, Midnight?" Sirius questioned. "This is the biggest city in the Hoenn Region where all the Pokemon stars work at! You expect to find them HERE?"

"Dude, she's just suggesting something," Thunderbolt sighed and frowned at the Mightyena. "At least we're _TRYING_ to find Muddy and Flare unlike you who keeps moaning about the fact that you lost the fight against Skittles."

"I didn't lose!" Sirius argued. "The fight wasn't even over yet!"

"Sure, Sirius, sure."

"Damn you Manectric and your stupid sense of stupid!"

* * *

Moving on out from Boredomville, population: Uh ... what was the number again, Jay Jay?

(A lot.)

Not this again. Fine. Moving on out from Boredomville, population: A lot as Breezy states, we return back to Muddy and Flare, the two lonely, quiet, and ... something else Pokemon – lost, that's it! K, let me try that again.

(Stop messing up! You could use the backspace button after all.)

How many times must I tell you, Jamie? You go forwards, not backwards! Live in the present, not the past! Therefore, I can't use backspace because I'm going into the past, ergo, throwing off my entire hope/belief system.

(You rant too much.)

Well you've got cooties, but I don't say anything. Ha, looks like I did!

We return back to Muddy and Flare, the two lonely, quiet and lost Pokemon wandering the beautiful green hills on the outskirts of the Pokemon Community. Why though? Because me and Breezy could not think of any place better.

"We've been walking in silence for the past fifteen minutes and its beginning to annoy me," Muddy stated through clenched teeth. "So say something, Flare, before I go insane!"

"You're already insane, Muddy, so I don't think it really matters if I talk or not," Flare replied coolly as she sat down on top of a hill. She sighed and stared into the distance as Muddy followed suit. "Ya know, Mud Boy," the Blaziken started, "have you ever thought about what lies ahead of us after HLBMA is finished?"

"Well," Muddy began, "our contracts says we have three more "League" series to finish and after those are finished, we still have Muddy & Flare to host along with the mini beginning parts in Who Shot Brendan Birch, Hoenn Poems, and Realizing Fate whenever we get scripts for those."

"That's not what I mean," Flare stated.

"And what does Chicken Girl mean then?" Muddy questioned.

"I mean, ever since that entire opening gifts thing and that charm thing we've got going on, it made me think, 'What's going to happen to us?' Where are we going to go? Are we still going to be friends with Sirius, Skittles, T.B., Silver, and all the others after all the shows are done and over with?"

"Well technically Muddy & Flare can never end not unless we don't get anymore questions, but yeah. I see your point." Muddy laid on his back and stared into the endless blue sky. "I think we'll still be friends, yeah."

"How do you know that?" Flare asked as she too stretched out on the grass.

"I don't," Muddy admitted, "but if we're still friends a year after we've met, I think we'll still be friends till the very end. There was a lot of crap we had to face through but we made it didn't we? We had a lot of shows to work on but we made it, didn't we? We've had a lot of Pokemon hate and like us, but we made it through, didn't we?"

"That was a long and winded sentence," Flare remarked.

"Well I'm a long and winded guy I think." Muddy shrugged. "This is getting really emotional and crap! I don't like it one bit! It sucks monkey balls! MONKEY BALLS!"

(Wha – Joey!)

Just statin' the truth, sheesh. No need to have a PMS attack.

(-.-; If you want funny or whatever, I'll bring it. I guess.)

Yay! I'll get the cheese puffs and ice cream you go get whatever you're getting! _:leaves for a minute:_

"Well, that was a random quote of the day," Flare noticed. "Just like I am not a palm tree, I am not a cat."

"I like that one!" Muddy smiled happily. "Anyway, let's get out of this place, it freaks me with these ... hill things. And why is it so green?"

"Because, Muddy, that's the way Ho-oh wanted it to be."

"Well Ho-oh has weird taste."

* * *

Back at Pokewood, the Pokemon version of Hollywood, Sirius, Skittles, Midnight, and friends were traveling down the busy streets in search of Muddy and Flare. But to no luck; the two were no where in sight. This caused the Mightyena to get pissed off.

"ARGH! WHERE ARE THOSE TWO?" Sirius barked angrily, causing the Pokemon in the café next to him to look at his direction. In return, he snarled at them, causing the Pokemon to look the other way and sip their coffee.

"It's the distress call!" Silver shouted, referring to Sirius's bark of annoyance. "Everyone hide!" He cracked up in laughter and would have kept going if Tai didn't thwack him in the head with a mighty sweep of his wing.

Cherry couldn't help but laugh. "What?" she asked as Sirius, Skittles and the others looked at her. "I thought it was funny."

"Whatever!" Skittles rolled her eyes and walked forward, the other ten Pokemon following after her. "Do you think they went up towards the hills?" she asked, one paw pointing towards the outskirts of the city.

"Nah. What losers go into the hills anyway?" Sirius replied as the group turned back around.

"Hey! I go to the hills to think!" Midnight argued, playfully kicking Sirius with her hind leg.

"Well then, you're a freak then," Sirius responded back, a mischievous grin creeping up on his face.

* * *

We find both Muddy and Flare back in Pokewood – sounds like a Powerpuff Girl shop if you ask me.

(Oh, go eat your cheese puffs. I'll type.)

No, I can do this. _:breathes in deeply then breathes out:_ Okay, I'm good.

(-.-)

We find both Muddy and Flare back in Pokewood, out to have a good time at the town. But unfortunately for them, someone, or something, was out there, trying to ruin their good time.

This someone, or something, was known as ...

"Haha, what fools!" Shawn laughed evilly as he watched Muddy and Flare past the shop he was in. "They think they're going to have a good time but they aren't, they aren't!"

"Shawn, who are you talking to?" Tide, Shawn and Muddy's youngest Mudkip brother asked as he hopped onto his older brother's shoulder. "I think the Pokemon here think you're cwazy!"

"Then let them think I'm cwazy – I mean crazy!" Shawn muttered. The twin brother of Muddy exited the store and walked a few feet behind him, close enough to keep Muddy and Flare in view but far enough for them to not notice him.

"Shawn, how come we're following Wuddy and Fware?" Tide asked innocently. "Are we getting them a pwesent?"

"You can say that, Tide," the Swampert answered.

"Fun! I wanna get them a pwesent!" Tide exclaimed happily, jumping onto Shawn's head.

"Really now? Then you can help me distract those two while big brother Shawn gets them their ... present!"

"Yay, Shawn! I get to help, I get to help!"

Shawn placed his little brother on the floor and pointed towards Muddy and Flare. "Okay, squirt. Here's what you do. Run up to them, tag along and ask them what they're going to do today. When you figure that out, come back to me. I'll be waiting on this bench." Shawn pointed to the bench and sat on it. "Now go, Tide! Run toward them like you've never run before!"

"But if I haven't ran before, then how did I know how to run?" the baby Mudkip asked innocently.

"Just go!"

Tide sniffled, trying to hide his tears as he ran towards Muddy and Flare. Advancing closely on the pair, Tide used all his leg power in his back two legs to push himself off the ground and onto Muddy's shoulders. "Hiya, Wuddy!" the Mudkip remarked cheerfully.

Muddy, surprised, glanced at what landed on his shoulder and grinned. "Hey, Tide. What brings you here ... by yourself ... without Shawn. Okay, bro. Where is my dear, twin brother?"

Tide only giggled and rested his head on Muddy's own head. "Shawn isn't here! Tide come by himself to Pokewood!"

"I'm sure ya did, Tide." Flare rolled her eyes. Turning her head, she saw a very familiar Swampert sitting on a dark-green bench. Tapping Muddy on the shoulder, she pointed towards Shawn.

Muddy smirked as both he and Flare turned around, tiny Mudkip on his shoulder crying out not to go in that direction because of the swarm of cooties. "Why, allo, Shawn." Muddy grinned deviously.

"Tide! You little twerp! You told them!" Shawn growled as he shot back up like a rocket.

"Did not!" Tide whined. "They fwigured it out on their own!"

"So what brings you out to Pokewood, Shawn?" Flare asked curiously.

"Just looking around, and then I saw you two and realized it was your birthday so I was like, 'Hey, Shawn! Let's go get Muddy and Flare for being jerks!'" Shawn replied sarcastically.

"Jeez, no need to be jerk-ish on me," Flare remarked, a frown on her face.

"Yeah well, happy birthday to you guys!" Shawn replied just as sardonically as his last comment. "Come on, Tide. We're leaving!"

"Aw, but Shawn!" Tide complained. "I thought we were going to stay and have cake here 'cause it's your bwirthday too, wight?"

"That's right," Muddy muttered. "It is your birthday today, isn't it?"

"Hello? Are we not twins?" Shawn smacked his forehead.

"Well, happy birthday then, Shawn," Flare and Muddy remarked at the same time.

"Thanks, I guess." Shawn shrugged as he reached out, picked up Tide from Muddy's shoulder and carried the little Mudkip in his own arms. "Well, I've gotta go. Bye." With that, the older Swampert (by two minutes as Muddy tells me) was about to leave when Flare asked,

"Do you ... Do you want to spend the day with us?"

"Flare!" Muddy hissed in a hushed voice. "What are you doing?"

"What? I feel bad!" Flare replied, a sweat-drop forming on the back of her head.

Shawn stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around. He blinked twice before asking. "Did you just invite me to go with you two, the 'famous' Muddy and Flare?"

"Sadly," Muddy remarked. This caused Flare to elbow him in the gut. "Owie!"

"Yeah, yeah we did. We would be happy to have you come along with us. Won't we, Muddy?" Flare asked, glaring at Muddy through the corner of her eye.

"Whatever," Muddy grumbled.

"Yeah, Shawn! Let's go with them!" Tide said excitedly, hopping up and down in Shawn's arms.

"Fine, but only because Tide wants to go," Shawn answered as the four Pokemon began to walk down Main Street.

"Uh huh. Sure, Shawn," Muddy laughed.

* * *

Back to the careless Pokemon that did not give a care about Muddy or Flare until now which they care, we find them in the midst of a crowd, swarming their way in the other direction.

"How come they're heading towards the hills? I thought only losers go there," Sirius asked, almost being pushed over by a very hurried-looking Loudred.

"Maybe there's a fire or something," Thunderbolt answered, ducking underneath a flying Skarmory. "I don't know what they're scared of, but I think we better check it out!"

* * *

"Haha! I win!" Shawn laughed triumphantly as the last Pokemon on the West side of town left. "Told ya I could make all the Pokemon on this side of Pokewood leave! So where's my twenty?"

Muddy grumbled but forked out twenty Pokedollars from his pockets. "Who knew your ugly face could do that, Shawn-butt," Muddy remarked as the four Pokemon walked down the vacant streets. "What to do now ya guys, what to do now?"

Let's change a light bulb!

(_:smacks Joey upside the head:_ If we are going to change a light bulb, it's going to be the one in your brain.)

Ouch! Gawd, Jamie. Biznatchy girl! Anyway, Muddy, Shawn, Flare and Tide continued to walk down the barren streets of the city when a toy shop caught Tide's attention.

"Ooh! Can we go there, Wuddy?" Tide asked excitedly, one paw pointing towards the toys in the window.

"Sure. Why not." Muddy shrugged.

"Yay!" the little Mudkip cheered as he hopped out of Shawn's arm and ran into the toy stare, Flare, Muddy and Shawn following suit.

"Wicked. I haven't been in a toy store for ages!" Muddy stated as he ran over to an aisle of toy guns. He pulled the trigger, and a rubber dart hit Flare in the back of the head. "Haha, Flare! You died!"

"Oh yeah?" Flare laughed as got another toy gun and shot Muddy in the head with another rubber dart. "Haha, you died too!"

"Well you died first!" Muddy argued as he threw the toy gun behind him and ran to an aisle of masks. "Whoa, scary!" He laughed as he pulled on a Mightyena mask. "Guess who am I! I like cookies, whine about my ex-girlfriend and am scared of the O.O face!"

"Haha, nice Sirius!" Flare answered as she put on a Delcatty mask.

"You guys are freaks," Shawn remarked as he pulled on a Sceptile mask. "Ugh, I never want to be a Grass type."

"Look! I'm a Mudkip!" Tide giggled as he put on a Mudkip mask.

"You were a Mudkip to begin with, Tide," Flare pointed out.

"Yeah, but now I'm a Mudkip with a Mudkip mask on!" Tide laughed again as he threw his mask off.

"Guys having fun without us?" Sirius piped up as he and the other nine Pokemon entered the toy store.

"Well, we had to make fun on our own seeing as our party was boring as hell!" Muddy replied coolly as he threw the Mightyena mask at Sirius's face. "Thanks for caring, guys. I didn't know you loved us that much."

"Oh, cut the sarcasm, Mud Boy. We're here." Sapphire rolled her eyes as Thunderbolt and she entered the toy store behind Skittles.

"I would like it if you would go back," Muddy retorted again. "You guys cared so much that even Shawn decided to hang out with us!"

"Ooh, did we neglect you that much?" Skittles asked sadly. "I'm sorry, Muddy. We didn't mean to get into fights, eat your cake and do other bad stuff like that!"

"Uh huh," Muddy sniffled. "You didn't open my presents did you?"

"Of course not!" Silver buzzed as he entered the room. "Or at least most of them anyway."

Muddy groaned and picked up Tide from the shelf. "So is there anything else you guys would like to say to us?"

"Kah nats?" Sirius asked.

"Stupid, Sirius. Not kah nats! Happy birthday!" Skittles mewed happily.

"Actually, Sirius was right. It was kah nats," Muddy admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Iki havekave noko checkkheckersker butkut itkit iskis okkokkaykay."

"You know what, Muddy?" Flare questioned.

"No, I don't think I've ever met a What before," Muddy answered, scratching his chin or where his chin was suppose to be.

"Latias." Flare smacked her forehead.

"Let's go back to the party! I promise this time, we'll be good!" Skittles said joyfully, beckoning the other Pokemon out of the toy store and into the outside world.

"Coming, Shawn?" Muddy asked as Shawn stood there in the aisle of masks.

"You're inviting me after all I've done to you?" Shawn asked, bewildered.

"'Course! You're my bro after all, and it is your birthday too!" Muddy grinned. "But I'd expected that you still will try to revenge against me right?"

"Damn straight of course!" Shawn laughed as the two brothers exited the toy shop together.

* * *

Muddy, Flare, and Shawn sweat-dropped as the Pokemon began to fight ... again. Why this time though? Well, I'll let you find out.

"MY PRESENT IS BETTER!" Thunderbolt roared angrily at Sirius. "I got Muddy a Water Stone and Flare a Fire Stone!"

"What the heck are they going to do with that crap?" Sirius demanded. "They can't evolve into anything new!"

"Silver! You ate the cake AGAIN?" Cherry remarked furiously.

"No, I eroded it away with my teeth!" Silver argued.

Well, you expected that to happen didn't you? After all, this isn't HLBMA for nothing am I right?

(Right, Joey!)

Muddy, Flare, and Shawn exited the room and walked up the long set of steps.

"Well, happy birthday to us!" Flare groaned as they walked up to the top level of the building. "It's like deja vu all over again! I bet you were going to meet another Shaw-" She was cut off as another Swampert walked into view. "Groudon, please tell me that Swampert isn't related to Muddy and Shawn too!"

"David!" Muddy and Shawn cried together. "It's our long lost triplet!"

"Why did I bother to ask?" Flare slapped her forehead once again.

Now as the warm, sunny blue sky turns into a dark, mysterious purple shade, the ... how many Pokemon again, Jimba?

(A lot.)

Gawd, stop with that!

(_:smiles innocently:_)

Like hell you are innocent!

(Aw, don't say that. It hurts my feelings!)

-.- Anyway, the Pokemon return back to their cozy little home in Pokewood to have a good night's rest, dreaming about the birthday they will never forget.

(I bet you Muddy will forget by tomorrow.)

That, Jamie, is one thing I have to agree on with you.

* * *

Sorry, the humor kind of died out in the end didn't it? Jamie and Joey over here kinda died out in the middle of this chapter

See the difference between the writings?

Joey: Yeah! I didn't interrupt you while you were typing and when I did, you typed your pointless comments about what height and sarcasm have to do with each other.

Which you never did answer by the way. Besides, you can't really interrupt dialogue anyways which is what I mostly typed anyway.

Joey: Whatever. This chapter was so off what we planned, Jamie! We we're suppose to make Shawn crash the party! That Shawn chapter was brilliant I tell ya, brilliant! But no, you had to go into this emotion crap. Chicks. _:shakes head:_

Well, I liked this chapter! And Shawn did make an appearance thank ya very much!

Joey: But he didn't crash the party.

Well, it had a good Muddy and Flare bonding moment in it. Never seen those two just hang out just by themselves like that for awhile except when they were little bitty babies huh?

Muddy: We weren't that little when we started! We were like five.

Five in what?

Muddy: _:shrugs:_ I dunno, just five.

Everything has changed so much in this story, its so hard for me to believe it! I thought I would just take the Ruby/Sapphire game plot and that would be it, over and done in about a month or two, but here I am, a little past the half way mark talking to you.

Flare: Good times, good times.

Let's talk about Pokemon personality shall we? See how much it changed.

Flare: Like we have a choice.

Let's see. Muddy went from sarcastic, to dumb, to really stupid, back to dumb, then a little bit smarter, then to a bit stupid again, and now he's kinda smart but still does that thing he does.

Flare: Which is?

Be Muddy.

Flare: Ah.

You, Flare, went from sarcastic, to a little bit more sarcastic, to very sarcastic, to I-don't-give-a crap-about-you-I'm-sarcastic, to I-can-only-be the-sarcastic-Blaziken-here, to now which is I'm-still-sarcastic-but-I-care-about-you-anyway.

Flare: Exactly, Breezy. You got me just right!

_:smiles:_ And we'll do the other Pokemon personalities later when their birthdays come up. Sirius is soon I believe. August something along with Skittles.

Muddy: Oh joy with that! Anyhoo, glad you could help us celebrate our b-day with us! Where's my present?

Flare: _:cough:_ Selfish _:cough:_

Muddy: Am not! Where's my present?

Flare: -.- Well, we hoped you enjoyed and thanks you guys for helping Breezy get this far and getting her over the 700 review mark!

Also, thanks to my first reviewer Chibi Fyrefly even though I don't think you go here anymore lol. So, my first reviewer that actually is still here would be ... EZF? No? Yes? Could be Alex black1 but I dunno if she's still here lol. Might be Sakura Phoenix when she was known as Sakuja. Actually, it's one of you guys lol so um ... thanks! _:sweat-drops:_ You guys we're the ones that inspired me to keep writing this stupid fic haha. People who hate this fic, blame those people. Lol j/k.

Muddy: Seriously, the present? The moolah? The anything?

LaTeR dAyZ!

Muddy: HEY! GET ME SOMETHING! SOMETHING GOOD! OR I'LL ... OR I'LL ... Do something!

Flare: Idiot.

Muddy: Proud of it too.

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	37. Wally's Return

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon but he does! _:points and runs:_

Muddy: _:pointing to himself:_ Me?

_:comes back:_ Yes, Muddy. You own Pokemon.

Muddy: Alright! _:cackles gleefully:_

-.- Anywa-

Muddy: Muddy's a happy Swampert!

You always interrupt me when I say anyway-

Muddy: Want to know why?

No, anyway-

Muddy: Because he got voted for favorite Pokemon! Not here! But at the other site Breezy writes on! He is very happy!

Flare: Oh joy.

Muddy: You're just mad because you didn't get voted _:sticks out tongue:_

Flare: Whatever. Anyway, I'll say anyway since Breezy always gets interrupted when she says that.

Seriously. -.-

Flare: Here's chapter 42. Breezy will like to thank everyone that said happy birthday to me and Mud Boy over here. :looks at Muddy:

Muddy: _:on the phone:_ Yeah, Bob. I own Pokemon AND might be favorite Pokemon. I kinda doubt it though but yeah. At least I was nominated by some people! _:grins:_

Flare: Enjoy. Oh yeah, Breezy fixed that battle thing between Skittles and Sapphire. She hasn't posted the edited versions of the chapters yet, but she's getting to it. So, yeah.

Muddy: Breezy would also like to say that this is a filler chapter just to get out of the lingering foul mood that Maxie has set and to get back to the ... lightheartedness. Whoa, that's a word? AMAZING!

Flare: -.- Yeah, it's a filler. It's kinda a nice change from the past few chapters (not the Pokemon-based ones of course) that Breeze has wrote. So enjoy once again!

* * *

**Wally's Return**

**

* * *

**

Brendan thought his journey would be something simple: Catch some Pokemon, get eight gym badges, make new friends on the road and so on and so forth. He never thought that life on the road could be so ... complicated. He never thought it would be so drama-filled. Hell, he never thought that he would have someone to travel with, to share the laughs and the tears.

Maybe it was because he didn't think about the hardship of travel and what made things so hard in the first place.

What really freaked him out though was the fact that he didn't care that May was gone; he didn't care that he was alone out in the pouring rain; he didn't care at all. Period. He figured that he might as well find the girl trainer otherwise he'd probably get his head bitten off later when he found her again.

"Ha, yeah right! Why bother finding a girl that's only going to have a pissy fit when you find her again?" Brendan ran a hand through his wet locks of snowy-white hair and turned back around toward the Weather Institution a mile or so ahead. He was surprised that May ran that far without a sign of tiredness. Hell, he was surprised that running those few miles felt like a few seconds instead of fifteen minutes.

Soon enough, Brendan spotted both Chris and the shaggy-haired trainer he was fighting up ahead underneath the shade of a pine tree, and by the looks of it, the two became fast friends.

"Hey, Brendan!" Chris spotted the white-haired trainer coming up. Noticing that Brendan was one friend short, he asked, "Where's May? Did you get her? What hap-"

Brendan shook his head, stopping the other boy trainer mid-sentence. "I seriously have no clue," he answered as he too stood underneath the shade of the tree to get out of the rain. "She ran off when I was talking, and I didn't go after her this time."

"Why not, dude?" the shaggy-haired trainer questioned, his grin slowly dying down. "She's your best friend isn't she?"

Brendan nodded. "Yeah, she is. I dunno. It just seemed like the right thing to do, ya know? Leave her alone for a few days to think about things and train and heal her Pokemon."

"Does she need it or do you?" Chris inquired, a small smirk plastered on his face as usual.

Brendan laughed. "I guess we both need it, actually, now that I think about it. We've been traveling for WAY too long and surprisingly, it got on our nerves as much as that's hard to believe."

"Ah sarcasm. You're learning well." Chris shook his head and looked towards the distance. "Well, I believe it's time for Chris Conifer to head back down the journey ... the journey of life. It's a hard road, yes, but it is a road I must challenge and defeat!"

"What the?" Brendan shook his head but a smile emerged on his face all the same. "Did you get that out of a greeting card or something? That had corny written all over it, for Rayquaza's sake!"

"It's very possible that it came from a greeting card, it is," Chris replied, shoving his hands into his black, baggy jeans. "But seriously, I gotta go punch a wall or something. That Maxie sometimes ..." He too shook his head like Brendan but for a different reason. "Alright. Talk to ya later, B Boy and Koran, I'm out!" With that, Chris walked past the two other boy trainers and down the dirt path, ignoring the rain that beat down on his head. Chris's departure left both Koran and Brendan in a tense silence.

"... You like her, don't you, dude?" Koran piped up after a few minutes of restlessness from both trainers.

This startled Brendan. "W-what? No!" he answered sharply, trying to hide his blush by looking at the ground. "I don't, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to talk about it with some stranger I met on the street so to speak."

"Ha, you do, dude," Koran remarked with a smirk. He leaned against the tree and stared up at the thickets of the pine trees once again. "You don't have to deny it, you know. I'm not going to tell her. Heck, I probably won't see her for awhile anyway." The surfer trainer looked back down towards the white-haired trainer. "So admit it, Birch, before you crack."

Brendan sighed and plopped himself in the wet grass. "Great, I'm spilling my heart's content to some random surfer trainer that I just met. Fun stuff, Birch, fun stuff."

"Hey, the world is crazy like that," Koran replied lightly. "So you do then? You do like her?"

Brendan frowned and picked at the wet grass. "I'm not sure actually," he admitted. "I thought I did, and then I changed my mind. Then I did again. Then it changed back. And now ... Now she's gone. Latios, I thought I wanted her gone too. Dammit, Birch! Stop contradicting yourself!"

"You make it sound like she's dead, dude," Koran retorted with a smirk. He shook his head and stared at the top of Brendan's head. "So do you like her or don't? It's either yes or no ... or maybe. Whatever."

Brendan fell backward, his ruby-red eyes staring straight at the stormy-gray sky. "You know what? I think I do."

* * *

"I can't believe he didn't chase after me!" May huffed as she trudge along the dirt path towards Fortree City. She kicked a rock off the path in anger. "I mean, we're best friends! Well, this shows how much he cares! But then again." The girl trainer stopped in the middle of the road. Maybe she was being too melodramatic with running away and not having Brendan chase after her. They were friends, not lovers. Right?

_Latias, this is getting very ... soap-opera-ish,_ May complained in her head as she continued her way towards the nearest city. _Besides, I think Brendan and I need a break from each other, to get things straight. Or at least I do. I don't really care for old what's-his-face right now anyway. And now I can get Secret Base supplies without him whining behind me! Fun!_

The girl trainer skipped on happily towards Fortree City with thoughts of Pokedolls running through her head.

Meanwhile though ...

"... But you're not going to do anything about it. Are you, dude?" Koran asked.

Brendan sat back up and sighed. "No. It's just not the time," he answered, running a hand through his hair for the second time that day. "If we do get in a relationship on the road, I mean, who knows what will happen? I mean what if-"

"I don't need the details, dude," Koran interrupted him.

"I didn't mean like that!" Brendan groaned, slapping his forehead. He ignored Koran's laughter and he continued to speak. "I mean, what if we break up? We might never speak to each other again, and May is a good friend after all, and I don't want to lose our friendship. And even if we do continue to travel together if we break up, it's going to be all weird and ... some other word for a few days, or months, or YEARS even! And I don't want that!"

"You don't want a lot of things," Koran remarked. "'I don't want a relationship, I don't want to lose May as a best friend, I don't want the air surrounding me to be tense-'"

"Alright, I get it!" Brendan complained, smacking his forehead. "It's just ... It's just not time."

Koran stayed silent for a minute before pushing himself up from the tree and walking away from the shade of the pine tree. "Speaking of time, dude, I've gotta go. Later!" And with that, the surfer-trainer left the scene, probably headed back toward Mauville or Slateport.

"That was weird," Brendan remarked as soon as Koran was out of eye shot. "Very weird."

* * *

May's sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with delight as she saw the many things that would perk up her Secret Base – if she'd ever make one that is. Finally taking one last glance at a polished wood table and chair set, May exited the store tree house only to bump into a familiar face.

"Wally?" the girl trainer asked, surprised that the green-haired trainer was also in town.

Wally Wood looked up from something he was holding in the palm of his hand and grinned at the sight of May. "Hey, May!" the boy trainer replied happily as he pocketed the item he held in his hand. "I didn't know you were here too!"

May nodded. "I just made it here a few minutes ago and went straight away to the Secret Base supplies store." She laughed softly to herself. "I guess I'm a shopping fanatic! Anyway, what brings you to town?"

If possible, Wally's grin grew even wider as he put his hand back into his pocket to retrieve the item. Pulling his hand back out, he showed off his newly acquired badge from the Fortree gym known as the Feather Badge.

"Just got it a hour ago," he answered proudly before reaching into his green and white backpack for his badge case. "It was a tough fight, but my Kirlia won in the end!"

"Oh, so your Ralts evolved then?" May questioned, admiring Wally's finely polished badges even though she had her own set.

Wally closed the black leather badge case and placed it safely back in the small pocket of his backpack. "Yeah," he answered with the same grin plastered on his face. "I've capture a whole bunch of other Pokemon too like Roselia, Skitty, and Abra!"

_Sounds familiar,_ May thought about Brendan when Wally mentioned an Abra but immediately shook the idea out of her head.

"So is Winona a hard gym leader to battle?" May asked as the two trainers climbed down the ladder onto solid ground. "She's the mistress of Flying types isn't she?"

The green-haired trainer nodded. "She's kind of difficult to battle with her – nah. I think I'll just let you figure it out." Wally smirked as May punched him lightly on the arm.

"C'mon! Tell me!" she whined as the two strolled around the town.

Wally stuck with his decision though. "Ha! Like hell I'm gonna tell you now!" he laughed as he stuck out his tongue. "Anyway though" The green-haired trainer looked around and noticed something was missing. "Where's Brandon? Don't you travel with him?"

May's warm smile slowly faded away as soon as Wally mentioned Brendan. "He's gone," she said quietly, bowing her head toward the grassy grounds of Fortree.

Wally perked up. "He died?" he asked cheerfully. "Alright!"

May punched Wally playfully on the arm again. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but he didn't. Brendan and I are no longer traveling together. Well, for now anyway. We got in a big fight, and I ran away, and he didn't follow me, and I thought I would look weak if I turned back, so here I am, talking to you. Doesn't that make you feel special?"

The emerald-eyed boy only rolled his eyes in response. "Why yes, yes it does," Wally remarked in the same tone of sarcasm like May's. "But you two are going to be traveling together again right? It would just break my heart to see two great friends apart like this!"

"Your sarcasm is not needed." The brown-haired girl rolled her dark-blue eyes in response to Wally's comment.

"I'm not being sarcastic – at least to my last comment anyway," Wally replied as the two entered the Pokemon Center through the clear, glass doors. "You two were the best of friends in my book and – I don't know. I think it would be stupid to break up a great friendship over a dumb fight. What did you guys fight about?"

May sighed and rubbed the temples on the side of her head. "Actually, Wally, everything was kind of blurry at that time. I'm not sure what exactly we were fighting about. Our pride was on the line, I guess."

"Ah," was all Wally said as he went up to the counter to retrieve his Pokeballs. Clipping them back on his belt, he sat down next to May who cushioned herself in a plushy red couch. "Well, if you're ever lonely while you're on your journey, you can always call me!" Wally remarked cheerfully. "Always happy to get a call from someone who isn't doesn't check if you put on deodorant."

May laughed at Wally's comment. "You know what?" she asked as she made eye contact with Wally. "I think we should travel together."

"... You want me to travel with you?"

"She wants him to travel with her?" a white-haired trainer asked bewilderedly as he spied on both Wally and May from a table afar at the Pokemon Center. "That girl has got serious issues to work out!" Peeking his head over the corner of The Pokemon Chronicles, the daily newspaper, he watched Wally scratched his head, confused by May's comment.

"What about Brandon?" he heard Wally ask.

"Oh, Brendan will find me. I'm sure he will!" May's soft and delicate giggles rung in Brendan's ears. "Besides, why do I have to call you when I can just wake up and talk to you person-to-person instead? You'll save money after all, and Latios only knows how much trainers need it these days."

"Yeah but-"

"Oh come on, Wally!" Brendan could tell that May was giving Wally the puppy-dog look by the looks om the boy's face. "Please?"

"Say yes and you're dead," Brendan muttered under his breath.

"But if I say yes and Brendan figures out, won't he kill me?" Wally questioned.

_Ha, you're catching on! _the white-haired trainer thought triumphantly in his head.

From what Brendan saw, May placed a hand on Wally's shoulder for reassurance. "Don't worry. If he tries to lay a finger on you, then I'll take care of it!" she answered triumphantly, her eyes darting back and forth across the Pokemon Center.

Brendan gulped nervously and hid his head behind the newspaper even more. Even if he wasn't here supposedly, May still gave him the jitters when she spoke like that.

"I guess we could try it." Wally shrugged as May squealed in delight.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Brendan heard the girl trainer cheer as he watched her hug Wally tightly. He had to hold back his laughter as Wally tried to squirm out of May's hug of death.

_That's it! Squirm like the little worm you are!_ the white-haired trainer thought angrily in his head.

May let go of Wally soon after and checked the time on her PokeNav. "Hmm ... Ten already. Think we should get a room?" she asked, clipping her PokeNav back on her belt.

Wally yawned in agreement, showing both Brendan and May clear signs of tiredness. "Yeah, let's get a room," he answered, finished the last of his yawn. "I'm tired from battling Winona and getting a new gym badge today."

_What?_ Brendan exclaimed in his mind. _You mean that Walter is beating me? There's just no possible way! I've got to get to the gym before it closes!_ About to jump up from his seat, Brendan remembered that Wally and May were only a few feet away from him. _Dammit, go get a room already! I can't believe I just thought that._

As soon as Brendan thought those words, both Wally and May got up from the cushy, red couch and toward the main desk to get a room for the night. Nurse Joy quickly pulled out a key from underneath the main lobby counter, and with that, the two trainers went off to their room. This left Brendan to himself and just in the nick of time too for Chansey came skipping down toward his table to give him back his Pokeballs.

"Uh, thanks." Brendan sweat-dropped after Chansey chirped out her infamous call. He took his Pokeballs from the metal tray and nodded the Nurse Chansey off. "Now, time to go get my Feather Badge!"

The white-haired trainer leaped back onto his feet, only to hit his thighs on the bottom of the table. Cursing, Brendan slowly got out of the booth and left the Pokemon Center, the cool night air blowing across his face. Quickly, the boy ran toward the nearest ladder and climbed up, only to cross the bridge and climb back down to where the gym was held. Still running, Brendan was getting psyched up for his upcoming battle only to get smacked in the face by something he couldn't see. Brendan, dizzy, fell backwards and stared at the crescent moon high above his head.

"What the heck?" he exclaimed as he sat back up to rub the back of his head. Thinking that his hand would go through, he punched in front of him only to meet up with the invisible wall again. Cursing again, Brendan took back his fist and sucked on it to ease the pain.

"I don't get it," Brendan admitted as he got back onto his feet. Climbing up the ladder and crossing the bridge toward the East end of Fortree, Brendan walked toward the outskirts of town where more tall grass grew. Sighing, he spotted another bridge that crossed over a rather large lake and sat down at the edge of it. Though he did happen to see yet another familiar face at the other end.

"Steven!" he called out, getting back onto his feet to walk over to the silver-haired trainer.

Steven looked up from a device he held at hand and grinned at the boy trainer coming towards him. "Hey, Brendan!" he replied as Brendan was next to his side. "I'm sure you're wondering what these invisible walls are too aren't you?"

"Well now that you mention it ..." Brendan trailed off. "What are they anyway? Are they really invisible walls or what?"

Steven shook his head no. "Well." He looked at the device in his hand again. "I think I'll let you see for yourself. Do you have your Pokemon ready to battle?"

Brendan picked up a Pokeball and enlarged one to maximum size. "Yeah, but why?" he asked.

Steven pressed a button on the light and red light poured out of it. Aiming it at a direct location, Brendan began to notice that a small, chameleon Pokemon with red and yellow decorations decorated all over its body began to form right in front of his eyes.

"That's a Kecleon!" Brendan remarked excitedly as he quickly scanned it on his PokeDex. "It camouflaged with the scenery around it! So that's why I couldn't see it before!"

The Kecleon roared angrily as it began to charge towards Brendan.

"Careful now!" Steven warned.

"Right!" Brendan smirked and released the Pokeball he had in hand. "I choose you, Sirius! Use Iron Tail now!" he commanded.

Sirius howled as he bursted out of his Pokeball and immediately, his tail glowed a shining silver. Sprinting toward the Kecleon, he roared another mighty battle cry and swung his tail at Kecleon who easily avoided the attack by jumping up high.

"You can do it, Sirius, buddy!" Brendan cheered. "While it's up there, use Take Down!"

The Mightyena hopped up into the air and collided into the Kecleon, bringing both of them down with a loud crash, Sirius on top. Kecleon squirmed underneath the Bite Pokemon but finally got back up when it slashed at Sirius's face. The Mightyena howled in agony as he stepped back, letting Kecleon out of his grip. Kecleon took advantage of this moment and ran for it.

"Dang, he got away!" Brendan groaned as he returned Sirius back to his Pokeball.

"It was a pretty good battle though," Steven remarked. "Like you've said though, that Kecleon had hid itself by camouflaging with the background. The only thing you can actually see when Kecleon is camouflaging itself is the yellow zigzag on its belly." Steven handed Brendan the device he was holding earlier, leaving Brendan confused.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's the Devon Scope. We just invented it for this purpose," Steven answered. "Maybe you could use it for something." With a flick of his wrist, Steven enlarged a Pokeball and released his Skarmory into the air. "Until next time, Brendan!" And like a flash of lightning, he was gone, leaving Brendan alone once again.

Brendan pocketed the Devon Scope in his pants pocket and walked across the bridge toward Fortree again. Truth be told, he didn't have much mood to battle right now. What he really wanted to do was spy. See how May liked it without him ...

* * *

"Great, she likes it," Brendan groaned as he spied outside Wally and May's room through the window. Brendan watched Wally tell a joke and May laugh. He was the one that was suppose to make her laugh, not him! Not Acorn!

Okay, so it's Wal-nut. Whatever. Not like he took notes or anything. Not like he cared if he got it right.

"I've really gotta learn to stop ranting in my head," Brendan complained as he continued to spy on the two other trainers. Without noticing, a flash of white light bursted out from Brendan's belt and instantly appeared the infamous Swampert by the name of Bemired Muddy.

"I'll be honest with you." Muddy noticed Brendan watching Wally and May through the window. "I think you're a psycho. I think that you need a good sit down with a therapist to talk about your feelings with. I think you need to stay in one of those houses with the mattress all over the walls – actually, that sounds kind of cool!"

"Shut it, Muddy. I'm working here!" Brendan growled as he placed his forehead on the cool glass.

"On becoming a psycho perhaps?" Muddy laughed as he dove into the Pokemon Center's pool right behind him. "Whatever. I'm going to bed. Night!"

"Yeah, yeah. Night." Brendan waved his Pokemon off as he watched Wally and May laugh it up. "I wonder what's so funny."

* * *

Wally finished the remainder of his joke, leaving both him and May in fits of laughter.

"I can't believe you were that stupid!" May managed to gasp out through her giggle fit.

"Hey, I was only a rookie after all!" Wally's laughter began to die down and soon after, so did May's. Sighing, he swung his feet over the edge of his bed and stared at the wooden door. "Hey, I've got a question, May."

"Alright, shoot," May replied as she took off her shoes and entered the covers of her own bed. She propped up her head against her pillow so she could still see Wally's face.

"You don't have to answer this, but do you like Brendan?" he dared questioned.

"Oh, it's very possible, Wally," May answered thoughtfully. "Hell, I might be in love and not even know it!"

May didn't notice the look of disappointment written on Wally's face luckily. Wally, though, quickly wiped if away with a small grin. "So are you going to do anything about it or what?" he questioned, fiddling with an empty Pokeball by rolling it between his fingers.

"Well, do you think I should?" May asked back.

Wally sighed again and stared deep into May's sapphire-blue eyes. "I'll be honest with you. I ..." Something white caught Wally's eye when he glanced towards the window. Like hair of some sort. "I think you should do whatever your heart says." Wally realized that Brendan was there but he didn't do anything about it. He would be worried too if his usual traveling companion was with another guy in a room

* * *

But whether if Brendan was awake or not was the real question.

Muddy rolled his eyes, picked up his trainer's sleeping bag, unrolled and unzipped it and laid Brendan's sleeping form in it. "Honestly, if I don't win most caring Pokemon of the year, I'm not sure who will." The Swampert took a glance inside what he was staring at and sighed in annoyance. "You do seem to like her again, don't ya, B Boy? I thought we jumped over that hurtle already, but apparently you tripped and landed on your face."

Muddy leaned against the wall that Brendan was currently sleeping on and frowned. He and Flare had a talk about this – If Brendan and May were to get together. Well, there wouldn't be as many fights, he supposed, and probably both wouldn't battle against each other if Team Magma or Team Aqua struck again. But if they were to split up, they might never see half of their friends again.

"Well, that's not good is it?" Muddy muttered under his breath.

Well, call him selfish or call him stupid but Muddy was back on Brendan and May's case. This time to make sure that they will never get together.

"Haha, I'm kidding! You guys are so stupid sometimes!" the Swampert laughed. "If I did do that, I'd get killed! This time, Bemired Muddy Swampert's plan to get Brendan and May together will not fail! Did I just call myself Bemired?"

"Yo, the Swampert talking to himself!" a Pokemon sleeping in the lake's waters shouted angrily. "You've got problems!"

Muddy stood back up and glared at the water. "Well you've got cooties! HA!" He jumped up and down in triumph. "Beat that, monkey turd butt! I dare ya! What now, son? What now?"

This caused the other Pokemon to stay quiet and Muddy heard it go back underneath the water.

"I win!" Muddy pounded a fist in the air for victory. "Woo! Well, that was fun. What was I doing again?"

Now as we watch Muddy ponder about what he was pondering about in the first place, some of you can't help but wonder.

What is he planning – as soon as he remembers what he was suppose to be planning? All we know is that things are going to be different from now on.

* * *

Lame ending, shut up. _:sweat-drops:_

Whoa, Muddy talked kinda ghetto in a few sentences. Haha son.

Well, this is a light-hearted chapter compared to the last few ain't it? I even threw in some Hoennshipping goodness in. That just ... gawd lol. I guess I don't dislike it with a passion as much as I thought.

Flare: Riiiiiight.

Shut up. Anyway-

Muddy: Anyway!

You interrupt my anyway-

Muddy: Yeah, I interrupt your anyway with my own because I'm cool like that! _:grins:_

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/13/09**


	38. Skyhigh Downfall!

**Disclaimer**: Uh, right.

Muddy: Hello! Muddy here! I am a Swampert! I like to go to the market and go ha ha ha ha ha.

Flare: Riiiiiiight. Anyway, here's chapter ... um.

Muddy: Forty-three no?

Flare: Sure, why not? We only got like ... Thirty-four more chapters to kill.

Muddy: More or less.

Uh huh. Well thanks, ya guys, for giving away how long this story is going to be.

Muddy: No prob!

Right. Any-

Muddy: Anyway, we've got a battle chapter coming up! May gets to battle Winona-

That's enough, Muddy.

Muddy: -but Brendan isn't there so she-

I said that's enough.

Muddy: -ends up-

SHUT UP!

Muddy: o.O

_:smiles:_ Good! Anyway-

Muddy: Enjoy!

**A/N:** Sorry for the long update wait. _:sweat-drops:_ Had another case of writer's block so I had Joey help me out in a few places again (mainly the beginning, not the battle scenes). Remember him? He was the annoying dude that helped me last chapter.

Joey: You're lucky if I don't end up throwing you in the closet.

Ya didn't last time. Did ya, pally? _:smiles innocently:_

Joey: Whatever.

Anyway, he promises no more little interruption things or that weird narrative thing he does.

Joey: Weird? I'm sorry my style of writing it weird to ya. And besides, you're the one that kept interrupting, kid.

Don't call me that. Enjoy! Tis a long one, this chapter.

**Random Fact of the Story:** May was originally suppose to catch Hydro earlier and then train him to a Gyarados but early notes were lost at that period. _:sweat-drops:_

* * *

**Skyhigh Downfall!**

**

* * *

**

"Latios, it feels as if my head were run over by a moving truck filled with pianos ... repeatedly." Brendan was already having a bad morning with a bad headache to match. He wasn't really sure why though. "What am I doing outside?" he asked as he rubbed his temples on the sides of his head.

"To make things simple, I'll just say I knocked you out with a frying pan last night," Muddy answered as he jumped out of the Pokémon Center's lake. "You were being an a-hole last night, so with a good, steel frying pan, I went BAM right against your forehead! It was then you fell unconscious. Yes." Muddy nodded as Silver flew on his shoulder. "Tell him, Silver. Tell him what happened last night."

"'Tis a quiet night in the little town of Fortree as a young boy of the name of Brendan spied on two trainers that go by the name of Wally and May," the Ninjask started as he beat his wings rapidly. "The waning, luminous moon hung high above the young trainer's head as his ruby-red eyes darted back and forth nervously, expecting the worse to happen. But what he thought was the worse was only ... uh ... Not the worse. But yes! 'Tis the tale of hope, courage, bravery, and stupidity mixed into one. That, my friends, is what I call life. Besides everyone being called Brendan and spying on random people, yeah." Silver nodded his head and grinned.

Muddy blinked twice and stared at Silver on his shoulder. "That's not how we rehearsed it," he remarked after a few seconds of silence.

"Sure it is!" Silver replied as he took up into the air again. "You just got to pretend that your story is hidden in the depths of my story! I call it I forgot your story and made up my own!"

Muddy smacked his forehead as Silver flew to the top of a tree. "Whatever. Let's just go beat Winona already. It's already nine. You must have been knocked out hard by my steel pan!"

Brendan only stared dully at his Swampert and returned him into his Pokéball. "Did all the team leave?" he asked Silver who flew down from the tree to hover at Brendan's eye level.

"It's possible," the Ninjask replied. "But this is a question that I cannot answer."

The white-haired trainer blinked twice before sucking his other Pokémon back inside his Pokéball. With a quiet sigh, he bent down and rolled up his sleeping bag before hooking it to his backpack. It was then he saw Wally and May awake from their own slumber. Being the curious boy that he was, Brendan put one ear to the cool, smooth glass in hopes of hearing Wally and May talk.

"So, May." He heard Wally strike up a conversation. "Are you going to battle Winona today?"

Brendan saw May fix her bed. "Maybe," she replied, "but I'm not too sure. Winona seems like a tough gym leader to me and I don't know if my Pokemon can take her on. Flare is strong, and Thunderbolt does the type advantage but ..."

Brendan took his ear off the glass and peered into the window with both eyes. He saw Wally snort as he picked up his backpack. "You can do it, May. You're an awesome trainer after all!"

The white-haired trainer rolled his eyes; it was obvious that Wally said some cheesy line to perk May up even if he didn't hear him. Bored, Brendan stood back up and brushed the dirt off his knees. He too might as well challenge the gym leader before May; it would suck if he was the last to one get the Feather badge. Though he wasn't sure, like May, if he was ready to take on Winona. He didn't have any type advantages against her really, and he heard that her Altaria was pretty hard to beat with its Dragon Breath attack.

Besides, he wanted to train his new Castform and maybe capture a new Pokemon as well.

Brendan shrugged and walked towards the outskirts of the city.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wally and May were walking towards the entrance of the Fortree gym, both of them happily munching on juicy red Leppas.

"Just do it, May. I'll be right there beside you cheering you on!" Wally took another bite of his Leppa before speaking again. "You'll do fine; I promise!"

"How do you know that I'll do fine?" May asked as she threw her Leppa core into a trash can. "What happens if I completely bomb? What happens if I lose only at the first round? What it-"

"Geez, you're a pessimistic person aren't you?" Wally rolled his eyes as he too threw away his Leppa core down the trash can. "I promise that you won't bomb ... that bad anyway."

"Well, that comment is sure to make me optimistic. Isn't it, Wally?"

"May ..."

"Okay, I'll battle Winona! It's just that ... well ..." May sighed in frustration, blowing her chestnut-brown bangs upward.

"Because Brendan's not here?" Wally answered for her. "Trust me, May. He'll only make you more nervous."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" the girl trainer asked.

The words from last night repeated in Wally's head. _Oh, it's very possible, Wally. Hell, I might be in love and not even know it!_ He shuddered at those last few words.

"Just do it, May. If I can do it, so can you!" Wally replied as he opened the tall glass doors of the Fortree gym.

Wally's last sentence must have sparked up May's courage, for she trotted into the gym, a confident smile gracing her face. The green-haired trainer rolled his eyes for the second time that day and followed May into the gym, reminding himself to stop being sarcastic with himself, especially in his head. At least when he said it out loud, people were listening. Sure, they would think of him as a freak but yes, they were listening.

* * *

"Alright now, Sirius! Use your Bite attack!"

With a swift and steady pace, Sirius sprinted down toward the enemy Kecleon, his teeth bared, his ebony-black fur being run through by the wind. Snorting, he bit down hard at his opponent's tail, causing the Kecleon to screech and run from their sight.

"Good job, boy!" Brendan bent down onto his knees as his Mightyena trotted over, a grin on his face. Scratching the Bite Pokémon on the head, he looked up, the bright sunshine blinding him. "That's the third invisible Kecleon we've face this morning, isn't it?"

Sirius barked a gruff bark in agreement, his ruby-red eyes also flashing dangerously in the sunlight as well with the excitement of the previous battle.

Brendan shrugged and got out another Pokeball. "Hmm ... I wonder if Thermo could take on a Kecleon," he muttered out loud. "I choose you, Thermo!"

In a blaze of brilliant white light, a rather small gray Pokémon appeared, his small, light blue and silverish eyes darting back and forth nervously. He seemed to give out a sharp squeak of fear as his eyes rested on Brendan, and instantly, he hid behind a nearby tree, his body quivering with uneasiness.

The white-haired trainer blinked twice in confusion as he advanced on the tree his Pokémon was hiding behind. "Hey, Thermo," he said softly as to not alarm the new Pokémon. "I'm Brendan, and well, I'm your trainer." Brendan mentally slapped himself for his lame introduction. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

Brendan mustn't have sounded too sure of himself, for the Castform only squeaked again and flew away to hide behind another tree. Sirius rolled on his back and laughed.

"Uh, what am I doing wrong?" he muttered to himself then more to his Mightyena.

"You're ugly, that's what!" Sirius piped up between his chuckles. "When I was a Poochyena, I wanted to hide in fear too! But of course, being the strong, brave, confident-" at this, he puffed out his chest, "-I couldn't show my fear. 'Tis a shame really; poor little guy."

Brendan chose not to respond to this as he advanced on the other tree. Just like before, the Castform darted around Brendan and hid behind Sirius.

"Don't let him get me!" Thermo screeched as he shuddered with fear.

"Don't worry! The ugly little white-haired trainer won't get ya, buddy!" Sirius laughed again, his crimson-red eyes sparkling with laughter and joy.

"Sirius ..." Brendan muttered through clenched teeth.

"Oh, chillax, B Boy. Thermo over here has a timid nature," Sirius stated as Thermo peeked around Sirius's body to look at his new trainer. "A Pokémon can tell so they know if they can find the right mate or something." He shrugged and turned around to face the quavering Pokémon. "Alrighty, pal. Brendan, the scary-faced trainer over there, isn't going to hurt you, I promise! Well, his stupidity made Muddy stupider because as you know, some Pokemon take after their trainer but that wasn't physical damage, just mental! Plus Muddy, I believe, is getting some brain cells back, so it's not all that bad! Am I talking too much? This has never happened before. I've never talked this much. Wow! I'm amazed at myself! I think I've been listening to Wally too much; he likes to rant to himself as well. And now I'm done."

Sirius grinned at the confused looked at both Castform and trainer's face. "I made ya guys confused! Skittles owes me five Pokéblocks!"

Thermo slowly hovered around the chuckling Mightyena and peered into the ruby-red eyes of his new trainer. "Are you sure he won't hurt me?" he asked shyly.

"Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a poodle in my eye!" Sirius answered with a certainty in his voice. "Wait ... Is that how it goes? Stick a poodle in my eye? What the heck is a poodle?"

Thermo flew over slowly to the white-haired trainer (who had kept quiet at this time) and hovered up, staring Brendan straight in the eye. He turned around and looked back at the Mightyena who was still busy talking to himself.

"Are you really sure?" the Castform asked again.

Sirius snapped out of his rant and looked at the Pokémon floating in the air. "No lie; true story; I was there," the Mightyena answered confidently again.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Haha, it's a pun! Get it? My name is Sirius, and then you said seriously and they sound the same and ... yeah. Old joke. But anyway, he won't hurt you not unless your in battle which as you most likely know, the opponent will try to hurt you, but it's not really his fault. It's the other trainer's."

"Really?"

"Latios, you're an annoying little bugger aren't you?"

The Castform widened his eyes and he gaped at Sirius with fright. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said in a rather squeaky voice as he hid behind Brendan this time.

Sirius just rolled his eyes and walked over to Brendan. "I can tell that this journey is going to be full of laughs!" he remarked sarcastically. "How ... fun."

* * *

May took in a rather deep breath as she spun around the revolving black bars. "How do I get through this?" she asked as spun around the bar around several times before the bar stopped at a nearby wall. May gasped as her stomach collided with the barrier.

Wally laughed at the look on May's face which was soon countered with a cold glare. "Well ..." he stated meekly at the angry blue-eyed girl, "you've got to figure out the pattern really. How much do you have to turn the bar and where to exit it. It's not as hard as it looks if you think about it."

"And tell me what this has to do with a flying type gym?" she asked as she spun the bar the other way around. "No comprehendo, Wally. No comprehendo."

"What did you say? I don't speak German," the green-haired trainer remarked as he leaned against a nearby wall.

May rolled her eyes as the bar collided with another wall again. "Can't you help me at least?" she begged.

"I could," Wally said thoughtfully, "but I choose not to. Besides, I had no help doing this either! If I can do it, so can you! I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box after all! Wait ..."

May laughed at Wally as she found her way to the other side of the room. "I made it!" she shouted cheerfully as she did a little dance. "I'm so proud of myself!"

Wally looked at the wall and saw a hunk of it missing where the ball usually collided with. "You know, there is a way without breaking Fortree property," he murmured as he got up from the wall and placed his hand on the cold black obstacle. Pushing it one way and then pushing it back, he found himself standing next to May, a triumph smirk plastered on his face. "Like so."

May rolled her eyes for the second time in the gym as she made her way to the next obstacle.

* * *

"... And so the Delcatty said, 'If I'm dumb, so are you!' HA! Isn't that the funniest thing ya ever heard?" the Mightyena chuckled at his own joke, leaving both Thermo and Brendan bewildered.

"I think I missed the joke in there," Brendan muttered to himself, Thermo nodding in agreement.

"Well, perhaps you are – ow! Who put this invisible wall here? That meanie!" Sirius sniffled, trying to rub the top of his head with a forepaw.

"Alright! Now we can see your battling skills, Thermo!" Brendan remarked brightly as he took out his Devon Scope in a flash. He pressed a button, and an infra-red light shone out from the top, scanning the invisible creature. In a matter of seconds, a Kecleon appeared, his claws outstretched, his tail lashing about.

"Whoa, feisty that one," Sirius remarked. "And quite freaky as well. You think Thermo isn't that timid to take it on?"

Brendan looked at the Castform in his arms and saw that he was scared out of his mind. "Uh, well ... Go, Thermo!" He threw his Pokemon into the air. If possible, Thermo stumbled but regain flight as he flew onto the makeshift battlefield. "I know you're scared, pal, but this can do loads of good later on. There are more freakier Pokémon out there after all."

"For example, Muddy," Sirius added. "You'll do fine, kid. These Kecleons are pieces of cake. Or cookies!" The Mightyena went starry-eyed for a second at the mention of the sweet food before snapping out of it. "Just stay calm and fight your hardest. I know you were raised by a bunch of computer geeks that like to stare at weather patterns but you're in the real world now! So toughen up and go for it!"

Thermo nodded at Sirius's words, a small smirk creeping up on his face. He readied himself for his first battle ever.

"Now what attacks do Castforms have?" Brendan muttered as he flipped out his Pokédex from his pocket. "Right now, Thermo has Hail, Sunny Day, Rain Dance ... How are all these weather attacks going to help me?"

"Castforms change with the weather remember?" Sirius replied. "That's why he has all those weather pattern attacks. Use it to your advantage somehow!"

"How?" Brendan asked as he closed his Pokédex and pocketed it.

"I don't know. I gave my advice of the day; you figure it out."

Brendan groaned and stared at the opposing Kecleon. "Alright then. Use your Hail attack, Thermo!"

Thermo's already icy-blue eyes glowed another shade of light-blue. The shining, bright sun was shrouded behind thick blankets of stormy-gray clouds in a matter of seconds, and soon after that, a barrage of hailstones fell from the sky at an alarmingly fast pace. The Kecleon took one to the head and fell backwards, the wind blown out of him but not knocked out just yet. The Kecleon grew angry at this and hopped back onto his feet. With a flick of his long, curly green tail, he lashed at the Castform and held him in a tight grip; a Bind attack.

"Hang on there, Ther – hey, he changed shape!" Brendan remarked excitedly. Sure enough, Castform's usual light-gray color turned into a green-blue color, his dark-purple head protected within it. He looked more like a small tornado with a swirl at the bottom then a hailstone but then again, Brendan had never been an area where it hailed.

"My, don't we catch on fast," Sirius stated in a sarcastic manner. "He used a Hail attack, therefore, changing the weather, ergo, changing himself. Latios, I've got to stop listening to Kadabra."

"Whatever!" Brendan exclaimed as he flicked out his Pokédex again. "What are Thermo's attacks besides all this weather crap? Water Gun, Ember, Powder Snow ... Since it's hailing, ice-type attacks are more powerful. Use Powder Snow attack now, Thermo!"

Thermo nodded and took in a deep inhale of breath before blowing out powdery yet powerful icy cold snow from its mouth. Kecleon took it head on and fell backwards once more from the tremendous force of wind, causing him to lose his grip on his opponent. He groggily stood back only to get impale by another hailstone. This time though, he didn't fall back but still, all the same, was angry. He sprinted and jumped into the air, one claw raised out. With a powerful sweep of his arm, he slashed across Thermo's face. The Castform cried out in pain before darting behind Brendan, quivering.

Brendan sighed as the enemy Kecleon ran away into some nearby bushes. "Well, at least you tried, Thermo, and that's all I was really asking for. Plus it was your first battle, and I guess even the best of us get nervous."

"Like me!" Sirius barked proudly.

"Eh heh, right."

"I'm sorry." Thermo bowed down his head as he landed into Brendan's arms. The clouds from Thermo's Hail faded away and the bright sun warmed them up again. Thermo changed back to his regular self once again. "I wish I was brave and strong and confident like Sirius."

Brendan looked past his Castform and into the eyes of his Mightyena, staring dully at him. Sirius only grinned back, his eyes clearly stating, 'I-am-that-good-live-with-it' right back at him. Brendan rolled his eyes at his Pokémon's arrogance and turned his attention back to Thermo.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Brendan replied in a softer tone than usual. "Battling and training takes time especially if you've been living indoors at an institution since you were born. Or created. Or whatever."

Thermo only sighed sadly before flying out of Brendan's arms. "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly again as he floated away from his trainer.

Brendan and Sirius only sighed in unison before following the retreating Castform.

* * *

May and Wally, meanwhile, were through passing the final revolving door in Winona's gym. May was obviously glad that she got through one obstacle but freaked out by the fact that down the hallway was the Mistress of flying-types.

"Nervous, May?" Wally asked, noticing the expression on the girl trainer's face.

"No, Wally. I'm as happy as a Hoppip!" May muttered sarcastically.

"Whoa, no need to be all anal on me. Sheesh," Wally murmured back.

"Sorry," the girl trainer apologized. "I'm just pretty freaked out right now with battling a gym leader and not having – well, I don't think you want to hear the rest of that sentence."

It was pretty obvious to May though that Wally knew the rest of the sentence with the forced grin plastered on his face. She didn't mention this though; it was bad enough to hurt a wounded lion's ego.

"You'll do fine," Wally said quietly. "I know you will. Just believe in yourself and your Pokémon and you'll be fine. I'll be right there next to ya like I said before, cheering you on."

May was still nervous despite Wally's comforting words but walked down the long hallway all the same. With a red and white Pokéball clutched in hand, she turned left only to find the mistress of flying-types tending to her a red, navy blue and white feathered Pokémon called a Swellow. Her steely-silver eyes glistened in the room light. Her stormy-blue pilot's cap decorated with two purple wings sat neatly on her head and matched her stormy-blue, white and purple outfit.

The girl trainer gulped nervously as she walked across to room to meet Winona. "Um ... hi?" she managed to squeak out.

This caught Winona's attention. She looked up from her Swellow and smiled. "You must be my opponent," she remarked as she stood up and smoothed down the feathers on her Swellow's head. "I'm Winona, leader of the Fortree gym and elegant flying-type mistress. And you?"

May snapped out of her daze and smiled in greeting. "Oh, hi! I'm May Maple from Littleroot Town, and yes, I'm here to earn my Feather Badge! So ... um, yeah, I'm ready when you are!"

Winona softly laughed but put on a battle face straight after that. "Okay then. Now that we know each other that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you!"

"I would be disappointed if you didn't."

Winona only nodded at this and called out one of her students by the name of Jake to judge the match.

With a pair of red and green flags in hand, Jake raised them up before explaining the rules. "The battle is between Winona, Gym Leader of Fortree City and Pokémon Trainer May Maple of Littleroot. This will be a four-on-four match; no time limit." Jake looked at both May and Winona before lowering his flags. "Begin!"

May threw the maximized Pokéball she had in hand already towards the battlefield. "I choose you, Thunderbolt!" she cried. In a flash of white light, the blue and yellow Discharge Pokemon appeared, his fur crackling with power.

"Using a type advantage already. How predictable," Winona muttered. She looked at Swellow. "Alright, Swellow. Let's go show them the power of flight!" Swellow, already out of her Pokéball, chirped and took flight into the air, glaring daggers with her sharp, beady eyes into her opponent's own dark-brown orbs.

"Alright, Thunderbolt! Let's clip that Swellow's wings with your Spark attack now!" May commanded, taking the first move.

The Manectric howled and sprinted towards the Swallow Pokémon, his fur crackling (like before) with electric power. He jumped and aimed for the Swellow only to have Swellow dodge at the last minute by flying up and out of Thunderbolt's reach. Thunderbolt was quick, but Swellow was quicker.

"Alright now, Swellow. Use Aerial Ace!" Winona countered back.

Swellow chirped reply and dove down towards the Manecrtic in a blur of red and blue feathers. With a swipe of her talons, she left a deep gash across T.B.'s face. Thunderbolt was thrown across the room with the powerful blow and ended up skidding into a nearby bench. He groggily got back up and shook the wood chips out of his fur, his teeth bared, obviously angry with the Swallow Pokémon.

"That Swellow is fast so it can probably dodge most of Thunderbolt's attacks," May thought out loud. "Is there anyway to slow it down?"

Winona took advantage of May's hesitation by attacking again. "Now, Swellow, Steel Wing!"

Swellow flipped backwards in the air and flew towards Thunderbolt, her wings glowing a steely-silver as she grew with power. She flew past him with her wings outstretched, smacking T.B. right at the head. The Manectric's knees buckled at this, but he got back up once again, his head spinning from the hard hit. He growled again as the Swellow flew circles around him.

"Thunderbolt, follow Swellow's flight pattern and use Shock Wave!" May instructed, her eyes sparkling with nervousness and fury.

Thunderbolt followed Swellow's flight pattern with watchful eyes. Swellow seemed to fly slowly at one point in her circle and seemed to speed up at certain points in an oval-shape pattern. With a small snort, precise timing and careful aiming, a small jolt of electricity shot out of his skin and bounced off the walls at an alarmingly fast rate, looking for a target. The Manectric's aim was true, for the thunderbolt hit Swellow straight in the chest. She chirped in agony as her wings were clipped together, and she fell to the floor from the powerful jolts of electricity that ran through her body.

May took advantage of Swellow's slow speed. "Hurry, Thunderbolt, and use Quick Attack now!"

The Discharge Pokémon nodded and dashed towards the fallen Swallow Pokémon and head-butted it, sending her flying into the wall behind Winona.

"Are you okay, Swellow?" the gym leader asked worriedly as the Swellow slid down the wall, taking parts of the wall with her. Swellow twitched for a minute before slowly hovering back into the air. She nodded and flew back towards the battlefield, her determination growing with each passing second. "That's it, Swellow!" Winona cheered. "Use Wing attack now!"

Swellow flew at a quick speed as if she weren't hurt before and dove down towards the awaiting Manectric.

"While she's close, T.B., Shock Wave again!" May quickly countered.

Thunderbolt stood his ground and waited for the oncoming Swellow, his eyes narrowed, his electric energy charged up for his next attacks. As soon as Swellow's wings grazed the Manectric's body, he let out a powerful jolt of pure electric power, shocking both him and the Swellow from the close range attack. The dirt kicked up from the amazing power the Shock Wave let out. When the dirt settled back down, both gym leader and trainer saw that both their Pokémon fainted from the blast.

Bird Trainer Jake raised both the green and red flags in the air again. "Both Manectric and Swellow have fainted. This round is a tie!" he announced.

"Return, Swellow! You did a great job!" Winona congratulated her Pokémon on a job well done.

"You too, Thunderbolt; take a rest!" May returned her Pokémon back into his Pokéball with a beam of red light. Minimizing T.B.'s Pokéball and maximizing another, May threw the Pokéball into the air with a triumphant shout, "Come on out, Hydro!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Brendan, Sirius, and Thermo were on the way back to the city of Fortree. After convincing Thermo that he wasn't mad at him and that he was actually proud of him, he finally flew out of the tree he was hiding in. After a few minutes of arguing about what they were going to do next, Brendan won in the end with his 'I'm-the-trainer-hear-me-roar' excuse.

"If I were the trainer, we could be chasing Surskits and having so much fun I might add," Sirius grumbled as they entered the tiny town of trees.

"Haha no." Brendan rolled his eyes as he returned his Bite Pokémon back to his ball, soon following was Thermo into his own. He climbed up the long ladder and up towards the treetops. "I don't think I could ever get use to this place," he panted as he finished climbing the wooden ladder.

"Hmm ... You smell like ashes," a man nearby stated thoughtfully.

Brendan turned toward the stranger and smirked. "Well that's what you get when you haven't showered for weeks," he replied, scratching his armpit to make him look more non-hygienic.

The man looked disgusted by the look on his face as Brendan passed by. The white-haired only grinned goofily as he turned around and continued to scratch underneath his arm. This time, the man ran inside the house, hollering at his kids to go take a bath. Brendan laughed at this as he was about to climb down the ladder towards the gym.

"Hey! Stop right there!" a voice from above him cried out.

Brendan stopped climbing down the ladder but instead climbed back up, his feet soon back up and resting on the wooden planks of the walkway.

"Yeh?" the white-haired trainer asked, looking both ways for the voice that called out to him. A few seconds later, a man appeared wearing a black business suit with a red tie and leather brief case in hand. A pair of darkly tinted glasses covered the stranger's eyes, the lens shiny enough to see Brendan's reflection in them. Brendan, amused by this, started to make funny faces but was soon stopped when the stranger took off his glasses and placed them behind his head, annoyed with the boy trainer's playfulness.

"I have been expecting you to be here today," the strange man said coolly.

"And how do you know that?" Brendan asked in the same tone.

"I know a lot of things," the man replied. "Like for one, you started off with a Mudkip. And for another, that is not your real hair. I have come here today, in the little town of Fortree, to prove this fact to my colleagues back at the institution. I, Percy Perry Patterson or Agent Triple P-" Brendan laughed at this part, "-will prove that your white hair is indeed not really yours!"

Brendan eyed the strange man carefully as he ran his hair through his so-called fake white-hair. "I believe I would know if my hair is connected to my head which it is thank you very much," he replied icily. "No need to have scientists run tests on me."

Percy Perry Patterson or Agent Triple P as he called himself didn't seem to be listening to Brendan as he walked over and plucked out a single strand of snowy-white. Brendan cried out in pain and covered his head with his arms.

"Watch where you're plucking at least!" he yelled in agony.

"Oh calm down, Mr. Birch. It's just a piece of fake hair," Agent Triple P snapped back sharply. Opening his leather suitcase with one hand, he pulled out a mechanical device and pressed a button on it. A red beam shot out of the top of the device, and Agent Triple P scanned it.

Brendan eyed the device curiously. "Isn't that a ... Devon Scope?"

"Why yes, yes it is."

"What? Are you going to see if my hair is invisible too?"

* * *

"A Gyarados? Interesting choice," Winona stated to herself. "But I'm sure Skarmory can handle it!" The flying-type gym leader enlarged a Pokeball to the size of an orange from her belt and threw it towards the battlefield.

Skarmory, a strong, swift, and steely flying-type Pokémon appeared in a flash of white light. It instantly took into the air and despite the heavy looking armor on its wings, it flew quite smoothly.

_It's too bad Thunderbolt fainted_, May thought in her head as she observed her opponent's Pokémon. _That Skarmory is pretty much a gigantic lightning rod! No matter though. I'm sure Hydro can take care of this one! But then again, Hydro just evolved so the only attack he really knows is Thrash, Surf and a few other attacks that aren't really effective against flying-types. But when did types matter anyway? It's all skill, right? Latias, I feel like Brendan and Wally right now._

May shook the thought of her head and directed her attention towards her gym battle. "Okay, Hydro. Start things off with Thrash now!"

With a tremendous roar from the Atrocious Pokémon, Hydro took to the air and dove down towards the Armor Bird Pokémon, his bloody red-eyes glaring into the bird's own piercing yellow. Skarmory, though, was too quick for that and instantly dodged by flapping its strong metal wings. Hydro collided into the hard terrain of the gym floor but with a quick flick of his tail, he smacked the Skarmory in the face, sending it skyward.

"Alright, Hydro!" May cheered as her Gyarados took flight once again. It was then she noticed the glazed and distant look in his eyes; the clear sign of confusion. It was most likely caused from the rough fall ...

Meanwhile on the other side of the battle field, Skarmory slammed into the wall behind May. From such a hard knocking though, Skarmory seemed as if it hadn't taken any harm because of the heavy armor on its body protecting it from the impact.

"Okay, Skarmory! Strike back with Steel Wing now!" Winona instructed as soon as she saw that her Pokémon was all right.

Skarmory chirped a shrill battle cry before diving down towards the perplexed Gyarados, both of its wings glowing with hefty power. As soon as Hydro got up, it was blown back down by the Armor Pokémon's brawny wings. Hydro roared in agony, the wind knocked out of him but not knocked out himself. The attack did though snap the Atrocious Pokémon out of confusion.

May automatically noticed and cheered. "Yay Hydro! Now use Dragon Rage!"

Hydro flew back up and charged up a powerful blast of red crackling energy in the depths of his mouth. With a deafening bellow, the Gyarados released the ball of energy; the energy ball spun around in a blaze of red and orange light, crackling with vigor.

Winona (like her bird Pokémon) was quick. "Use Agility to avoid that Dragon Rage, Skarmory!"

Skarmory nodded and took off into the air, its speed accelerating with each passing moment. Soon, it was like the Armor Pokémon was teleporting to different spots, only being seen for a spilt second before reappearing at another area. Because of this, Skarmory easily evaded the Dragon Rage. The ball of energy ended up blasting into the battlefield, kicking up rather large chunks of earth. The dirt blinded the battlefield with its thick brown blankets so both Skarmory and Hydro weren't able to be seen.

Winona took advantage of this moment. "Aerial Ace now!"

May's eyes widened in surprise and fright and the Skarmory emerged from the blankets of dust unnoticed and struck down Hydro with a swipe of its long beak. Despite the fact that Hydro was powerful, he wasn't trained fully just yet and ended up fainting as soon as he collided with the ground.

"Gyarados is unable to battle. The winner is Skarmory!" Jake announced as he raised the red flag.

May returned Hydro in a beam of red light and smiled down upon his Pokéball. "You did a great job, Hydro. Take a rest." Switching Pokéballs on her belt, she glared at her opposing Pokémon and got ready for round three ...

* * *

Outside the gym though, Brendan sat down dully on a nearby wood bench as Agent Triple P continued to exam his one single strand of snowy-white hair.

"It's _my_ hair, for Rayquaza's sake!" he finally shouted, frustrated with his boredom.

"But is it really, or are you lying?" Agent Triple P stood up from the wooden bench and pointed his pointer finger at Brendan. His chocolate-brown eyes narrowed into slits of fury. "It's true! This isn't your hair, is it? YOU JUST ADMITTED IT!"

"What?" Brendan shot up from his seat like a rocket and glared right back at the semi-psychotic agent. "You're just answering the question for me! ITS MY FRIKKIN' HAIR DAMMIT! SEE?" To make a point, Brendan pulled on several hairs on his head. "They're not coming out are they?"

"Ah, but." Agent Triple P took the hairs Brendan was holding and pulled them out from his head. "Look! They came out!"

"That's because you pulled them out!" the boy trainer screeched, clutching both hands where his hair was pulled out. "Latios forbid that!"

Agent Triple P scratched his head. "Perhaps ... perhaps it is a hat!" In a quick and swift movement, the agent reached down and seemed as if he were trying to pull Brendan's entire head off.

"Get off, you freak!" Brendan yelled, trying to squirm his way out of the Agent Triple P's grip. "It's connected to my head! My head is connected to my shoulders! My shoulders are connected to ... something else! We're all connected, so leave me ALONE!"

Agent Triple P reluctantly obliged the young trainer's wish. "But ..." Agent Triple P began as he pulled out some papers from his briefcase. "It says here that your 'white hair' is actually a hat. Even in this picture it looks like a hat!"

Brendan snatched the papers out of the agent's hand and skimmed through them. He rolled his crimson-red eyes in disgust. "My name's not Ruby. It's BRENDAN!" And with that, the boy trainer threw the papers behind his shoulder and stormed off, angry yet somewhat amused.

"Whatever," he muttered to himself as he climbed down the ladder towards the gym. "Time to go see some battles at the Fortree gym!"

* * *

"I choose you," May threw her next Pokéball towards the now broken battlefield, "Skittles!"

In a burst of white light, Skittles broke out of her Pokéball and instantly licked her paws, grooming them. She looked up toward the ceiling at her opponent and with a small smile on her face, stretched her back, getting rid of the cricks.

"Okay, Skittles, lets start things off with Sing and bring the Skarmory to dream land!" May commanded, feeling exhilarated with her battle.

Skittles mewed as a battle cry and closed her warm dark-brown eyes. A small hum came up from the depths of her throat, sounding both peaceful and serene. Wally, Winona and May yawned tiredly as Skarmory dropped down from the skies, snoring.

"Al ... right!" May yawned and tried ridding herself of tiredness by blinking twice. "Use Assist now, Skit!"

Skittles nodded and glowed a bright red color, a Pokéball on May's belt doing the same. With a deep inhale of breath, Skittles exhaled a icy cold jet of water; it was a Water Gun attack courtesy of Hydro. Skarmory's body was blown off the broken battlefield as it collided with the wall behind Winona. It instantly woke up from its slumber by the powerful impact and took to the skies, not affected by the attack.

"That Skarmory has pretty good defense," May muttered out loud as Skittles's head followed Skarmory's flight.

"Skarmory, dive down and use Aerial Ace now!" Winona demanded as May stalled the battle.

Skarmory's battle cry rung throughout the gym as he dove down, his target, the awaiting Delcatty. Skittles eyes widened as the Armor Bird Pokémon came closer and closer.

"Hurry, Skittles!" May countered. "Jump up and land on Skarmory's back ... now!"

Skittles nodded and jumped up, missing Skarmory's talons by a hair before landing on its back. Skarmory, angry with the intruder that was trying to get a free ride, flew quicker than usual, trying to get Skittles off its back. Skittles somehow clung on by digging her sharp nails into its back and biting down on the Skarmory's neck.

"Flip upside down to get that Delcatty off!" Winona instructed.

"Wait for it ..." May murmured.

Skarmory bellowed a mighty roar before turning upside down and flying on its back. Despite the Delcatty's efforts, she fell short literally and began to careen down towards the battlefield.

"Now, Skittles! We've been practicing this one! Ice Beam now and give it all you got!" May shouted triumphantly, her sapphire-blue eyes fixed straight on her falling Pokémon.

Skittles took another deep breath and shot out a powerful light blue beam of ice. Her aim was straight and true as the Ice Beam shot down the Armor Pokémon, freezing it in a block of ice. Skarmory couldn't move its wings after this and dropped down towards the awaiting floor, just like Skittles. Skittles quickly flipped back onto her feet before landing. Skarmory, though, was unlucky as the block of ice exploded on impact as it hit the floor, sending ice shards everywhere. The Armor Pokémon finally fell, defeated.

"Skarmory is unable to battle. Delcatty wins!" Jake declared as he raised the green flag this time.

"I knew that a cat always lands on her feet!" May remarked cheerfully as she petted her Pokémon gratefully.

Winona chose to ignore May's comment as she returned her fainted Pokémon to its ball. "Great job, Skarmory; you deserve a nice rest." Minimizing Skarmory's Pokéball and enlarging another, she smiled with determination. "I choose you, Pelipper!"

* * *

"It's good to be home again," Brendan sighed as he pushed open the doors of the Fortree gym. "Okay, I got it down. Remind me to say that when I go back home to Littleroot okay, self? Okay!" Brendan shook his head at his boredom as he came across the first obstacle. After a minute of staring at that, he muttered out loud. "It's a pole. A black pole. The black pole is in my way. What do I do with this black pole that is in my way? Why am I talking in short sentences while I ponder what I do with the black pole that is in my way?" The white-haired trainer pushed the pole obstacle and easily got to the other side. It was then he noticed that a rather large chunk of the wall was missing, clear signs that May was here. Brendan smirked at this and began to trudge his way towards the next obstacle.

* * *

In a blaze of white light, a Pelipper burst out of its Pokéball, his large mouth producing a loud, shrill sounded battle cry. Skittles glared up at the water and flying Pokémon and went into a battle stance, readying herself for battle.

"Okay, Pelipper. Start things off with Wing Attack!" Winona instructed first.

Pelipper shouted its name before diving down towards the Delcatty, its wings spread wide and glowing with power. It struck down Skittles and slammed her into the ground hard. Skittles slid backwards and groggily got back up, her eyes weary.

"Hang on, Skittles!" May cried out worriedly. "Try Ice Beam again!"

The cat Pokémon nodded her head weakly and concentrated on shooting an icy blue beam out of her mouth. She fired it only to have Pelipper quickly dodge it with a flap of its mighty light blue and white wings. Skittles growled from the back of her throat as the Pelipper taunted her with a cheeky chirp.

"Now use Supersonic!" Winona instructed.

"Hurry, Skittles! Counter it with Sing!" May retaliated quickly.

Both Pokémon glared at each other before opening their mouths, one producing a loud, shrill cry and the other singing a soft and serene tune. The sound waves crossed each other but in the end, Pelipper's Supersonic won because of its more shrill sound waves. Skittles froze in her spot as the visible waves engulfed her, unable to hear her trainer's commands. After a few seconds of this, Pelipper stopped, leaving its opponent confused and deaf.

May glanced down worriedly at her Pokémon before attempting to attack. "Skittles, try an Assist attack!" she begged.

Skittles blinked her chocolate-brown eyes twice, puzzled over what her trainer ordered. Kettles fry and persist collapse? The cat Pokémon ended up standing in her spot and not moving as she watched the Pelipper fly circles above her.

"Pelipper, finish her off with Wing Attack!" Winona ordered triumphantly.

Pelipper cried out another shrill battle cry before diving down towards the anticipating Delcatty, its two wings glowing. With a swift and smooth dive, it struck down Skittles who's knees buckled at the powerful impact. She mewed in agony as she fell in defeat after a long and tiring battle.

"Delcatty is unable to battle. Pelipper wins this round!" Jake proclaimed as he raised up the red flag.

"Great job, Pelipper," Winona congratulated her Pokémon as it flew circles around her head.

May enlarged Skittles's Pokéball and returned her in a beam of red light. "I'm proud of you, Skittles; you deserve a rest." May smiled down on the Pokéball before hooking it back onto her belt.

_It would be stupid to have Flare fight against both a flying AND water type even though she is strong and can usually take on a type advantage. Plus I've got Winona's last Pokémon to worry about so its probably her most powerful,_ May thought as she returned Skittles back to her Pokéball. _Tai's speed though could probably match that of Winona's Pokémon so it'll be harder for her to strike an attack on us. So Tai it is!_

May unhooked the Swellow's Pokéball from her belt and maximized it in her gloved hand. "Alright, Tai. It's all up to you!" she stated as she pulled her arm back to throw the red and white ball. "Let's go out and get 'em!"

In a blaze of pure white light, the Swallow Pokémon broke out and soared gracefully in the air. He flew backwards in the air as if to intimidate his foe at his amazing flying skills. Finally done showing off, Tai flew back to his side of the field, his dark-blue eyes sparkling with energy as he stared down at the opposing Pelipper.

"Cocky little Swellow you've got there, May," Winona observed, referring to Tai's antics when he first came out.

May placed her hands on her hips and only grinned back in return. "I think it gives him a sense of coolness. That's what I trained him for in the Pokémon Contests after all," she replied coolly. "Alright, Tai, let's show 'em the need for speed! Aerial Ace now!"

Tai chirped in reply and flew straight towards the awaiting Pelipper, his talons and beak glowing with white power.

"You're going to have to do better than that! Pelipper, Agility now!" Winona swiftly countered.

Pelipper quickly dodged Tai's barrage of beaks, talons and feathers at the last second before retaliating back with a slap to the Swallow's Pokémon's face by using his wing. Tai flipped upside-down in the air before flapping his blue and red wings rapidly to regain stability. Tai growled from the back of his throat as he glared icy daggers at his opponent. Pelipper only grew amused at this and laughed a cheeky little laugh in reply.

"And you think Tai is cocky ..." May muttered under her breath. "Okay, Tai, Wing Attack now!"

"Dodge with Agility again, Pelipper!"

Once again, the Swallow Pokémon flew towards the Pelican Pokémon with its wings spread wide only to have his attack evaded by the quick-moving Pelipper. Pelipper, once again, reeled its wing back to smack the Swellow in the face.

May was faster than that though. "Tai, hurry and slap back with your own Wing Attack!"

Tai's and Pelipper's wings collided in mid-air. Like a sword fight, both Pokémon were trying to push their wings towards their opponent, trying to gain the upper hand, or in his case, wing. Both Pokémon ended up having their wings slide upwards, and they both lost their grip on each other. Tai went flying towards the ceiling while Pelipper only flew down a few feet.

"Aerial Ace with everything you've got, Tai!"

Tai nodded and dove straight down towards the unnoticing Pelipper, his talons glowing with brilliant power. With a quick swipe in a blur of red and blue feathers, Tai slashed across the face of the Pelipper in a smooth and clean swipe. Pelipper thundered in agony before spiraling down towards the broken up battlefield, leaving yet another large crater in the field.

"Pelipper is unable to battle. May's Swellow wins!" Jake proclaimed as he raised the green flag for the third time.

"Great job, Tai!" May cheered as Swellow flew down and landed near May's feet for a quick rest. The girl trainer scratched her bird Pokémon on the head before looking back up towards the flying-type gym leader. Winona had a maximized Pokèball in her right hand which she stared down at. A small smile tugged at her face as her steely-blue eyes sparkled from the high fluorescent lighting.

"Alright," Winona started as she looked back up towards the battlefield. She reeled her arm back, ready to throw the Pokéball. "Come on out, Altaria! Let's show 'em what a Flying-type is all about!" She released the Pokéball from her grip and a few moments later, the Pokéball burst open in a flash of light and a shower of sparkles. In replace of the dazzling light hovered an elegant-looking Pokémon. Her sky blue eyes rested upon May's Swellow as she ruffled her soft, fluffy, cloud-like feathers. Her light blue talons were sharp.

Tai looked up at his opponent and hesitated before flying back up into the air. Despite the fact that Altarias were graceful and delicate (or at least seemed to be in his eyes), he knew that they were much stronger than they appeared.

"An Altaria, huh?" May remarked as she pocketed her Pokédex when she finished getting information. "A Ffying and dragon type might be hard to beat, but you can take it on! Right, Tai?"

Tai replied with a wavering chirp, not feeling as confident as his trainer felt. Nevertheless, he glared daggers at his opponent and flapped his wings to boost himself up to the Altaria's eye level.

"Okay, Altaria! Start things off with Dragon Dance!" Winona commanded.

Altaria nodded before doing a graceful sort of dance, her fluffy feathers shifting with the direction she moved. It had a nice flow to it that seemed encouraging, not to the opponent, but to the Altaria herself. Her energy seemed to go up and her eyes felt as if they were burst if she withheld anymore power. The Humming Pokémon quickly finished her dance in a mere matter of seconds before returning Tai's glare with one of her own.

May blinked twice, quite confused at the spectacle. "I'm at a gym battle and not a contest, right?" she asked under her breath. "Tai, Quick Attack now!"

Tai growled a battle cry from the back of his throat before flying swiftly towards the Humming Pokémon. His wings were spread wide to stabilize his flight as he came closer and closer to his target ...

"Take Down now!"

"What?" May shouted, bewildered by Winona's counterattack.

Altaria hummed a soft battle cry and flew up higher than Tai and flew straight down on him as soon as he was in reach. Despite the fact that Tai was quicker, Altaria's Dragon Dance boosted up her speed, giving her the ability to practically squash the Swallow Pokémon underneath her weight. Tai groaned at this as he tried to kick the Altaria off. Altaria though, despite looking like a weightless Pokémon, was heavier than him, so he found some difficulty doing so. He instead managed to squeeze himself out from below the Humming Pokémon, his feathers looking flattened and the look of weariness written all over his face.

"Hmm, that Take Down shouldn't have weaken Tai down that much," May thought out loud. "Must be the effects of Altaria's Dragon Dance. No matter though, Tai, use Endeavor to strike back!"

Tai flapped his wings to gain acceleration before darting down towards the Altaria who landed on the ground. With a look of weariness still on his face and beads of sweat rolling down, dampening his red and blue feathers, he struck down the Altaria. The Humming Pokémon cried out a soft, faint cry as it fell backwards. Though Tai was tired, it wasn't tired enough to make Altaria weak herself.

"Time to bring out the big guns! Altaria, Dragon Breath now!" Winona ordered.

Altaira flew back up in the air and took in a deep breath. Out of her mouth poured out green flames that charged down rapidly towards the Swallow Pokémon. Tai managed to dodge the last of the Dragon Breath but still took a full blow all the same. Tai's eyes rested upon his trainer's as he turned his head; they were filled with defeat.

"There's no way I can win if Tai doesn't believe in himself," May muttered as she stared back up at her Pokémon. She then too began to feel the painful feeling of defeat.

Winona took advantage of May's hesitation again. "Altaria, Take Down again!"

Altaria flew up towards the weary-looking Swallow Pokémon and rammed into him, bringing them both toward the broken up battlefield. They skidded for a long while, the Humming Pokémon on top, the Swellow on the bottom.

Brendan winced at the last powerful beating that Tai took as Altaira hovered back into the air. He had been watching May's battle ever since the beginning of round four and kept quiet all this time. It was then he noticed the look of defeat written on May's face "Come on, May! You can do it!" Brendan shouted, unable to keep silent after all this time.

"Brendan?" May murmured as she looked behind her towards the exiting rail. There, sure enough, was the white-haired trainer, his dark-red eyes flashing in the light, his fists shoved in his pockets.

"Finish 'em off, Altaria! Dragon Breath!" Winona instructed.

"May!" Wally shouted as he tried to snap the girl trainer out of her trance. "Your battle!"

May turned her head and focused on the battle once again. It was too late though; Altaria charged up her Dragon Breath and released it on the poor Swellow who was too tired to even try to dodge. He took the attack head on and was immediately engulfed in the dark-green flames of the Dragon Breath, the flames feeding off the Swallow Pokémon. The breath of fire from the Humming Pokémon died down a few seconds later, and there lay an over-roasted Swellow, his feathers charred black and in some places, it looked like his feathers corroded away from the effects. He twitched, showing signs of life but was clearly too knocked out to battle.

"Swellow is unable to battle! The winner is gym leader of Fortree, Winona!" Jake cried out triumphantly as he raised the red flag for the last time.

Brendan grimaced at May's rather ... unpleasant defeat and tried to slip out the doors unseen. Though May was too busy with her jaw dropped open and her eyes wide with shock to notice the boy trainer leave, that didn't mean Wally didn't see him. In a flash, Wally jumped over the railing and met the white-haired trainer outside the Fortree gym, rage burning in his eyes.

"You got May nervous!" he spat out, his fists shaking with anger.

Brendan couldn't help but sweat-drop at this moment. "I?" he asked innocently, pointing to himself.

"Yeah, you!" the green-haired trainer snarled.

Brendan scoffed at this. "Yeah right, Walter. You know that whether or not I was there wouldn't have effected May's battling. I've been with her during her battles, gym, regular, and double and she hasn't choked before now has she?"

"Yeah, well. I think I would be nervous too if the-" Wally stopped mid-sentence and sighed instead. May would probably kill him if he told the white-haired fool over here that she might just like him a teensy-tiny bit. "Listen, Brandon. I can't tell you everything except that it was your fault!"

"You've eaten one too many coconuts, Wall Leak." Brendan, about to walk away, was stopped by seven little words.

"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

* * *

Like my Ruby/Brendan parody? _:grins:_ If you think about it, Brendan and Ruby are complete opposites seeing as Brendan does want to be a Pokémon Master and Ruby a Pokémon Coordinator.

Anyway, I'm still wondering if I should do reviews or not. What do you guys think?

Muddy: I don't!

Flare: I realized that.

Muddy: I know! But that makes me think.

Flare: Which you don't.

Muddy: That is true. I'm confuzzled.

Flare: Nice to meet you, confuzzled.

Muddy: What? We have a new cast member? Where is he?

Flare: -.-

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/14/09**


	39. Brendan and Wally's battle?

**Disclaimer**: I ... um ... hmm ... Happy birthday!

Muddy: Yay! Happy birthday!

Flare: Pfft.

Muddy: Happy happy birthday, happy birthday cake! Happy happy birthday, pin the tail on the Horsea! Happy happy birthday, happy birthday Disclaimer!

Flare: You took that from Spongebob.

Muddy: Disclaimer?

**Disclaimer**: Muddy does not own Spongebob Squarepants and/or any related characters.

Flare: :sighs:

Muddy: :grins: Alrighty, we've got a side-track chapter coming up. But it's not all Pokémon based so meh. It's boring; turn back now! TURN BACK NOW DAMMIT!

... Enjoy! Oh yeah, the eighth-hundredth reviewer. Who would that be?

Muddy: ME!

Flare: -.- You don't review. You can barely read.

Muddy: Sure I can, just not around you. :shifts eyes:

Flare: :shakes head: Anyways, the winner is Kanta Gurl!

Muddy: Me? :points to himself: Oh, my gawd. I never thought this would happen to me! I'd like to thank my mom who has long abandoned me, my father who I never knew, my brothers who tried to take over my world domination team before ... :sniffles: And especially you, Flare! You mean so much to me, thank you!

Flare: Really?

Muddy: XD Hell no!

Flare: ... Enjoy!

A/N: This chapter sucks. Turn back now!Enjoy, I guess.

* * *

**Brendan and Wally's Battle?**

**

* * *

**

A single dim light bulb coated with a thick layer of dust swings from side to side on its thin black wires, the metal chain that turns the light on clinking against the side of the bulb. A lone figure sits in a creaky wooden chair, his facial features hidden by the darkness. Interestingly enough though, his bright-orange eyes sparkled in the dull light as they rested upon the icy cold marble floor. He seems deep in thought as he rocks himself back and forth, keeping himself balance by resting his feet on the ground. You ponder who this creature is and what exactly is he doing (or how you randomly appeared in this dusky room suddenly) as you take a step forward. Your foot presses down upon a creaky floorboard and you bite your lip, wondering if you disturbed this strange creature.

The noise apparently does for the creature's eyes snap forward, his paws instantly darting towards the armrests. He grips on the edges of them nervously and stares straight into your own orbs. You shift your weight awkwardly, uncomfortable with the fact that the creature seemed to be observing you.

"Hello," he remarks after a few tense minutes of silence. "What brings you here?"

You realize that this creature isn't speaking your native tongue yet somehow you understand him. You stay quiet though, afraid of what this strange being would do to you if you answer.

The creature chuckled a bit as he released the armrests from his grasp. He placed his paws behind his head and began to balance the wooden chair with one paw on the floor as if trying to impress you. Though, his foot slips and ends up tumbling backwards, the wooden chair falling on top of him.

You blink twice, kind of confused by the creature's antics. Then suddenly, it dawns on you ...

This creature was someone that you knew but never met ... till now that is. Muddy was his name, Bemired to be formal. Bemired Muddy Swampert, the rather insane Swampert from that"HLBMA" story you've read for some odd reason. He's best friends with Flarember Blair Blaziken, Sirius Orion Mightyena and Skittles Angel Delcatty is he not?

Sometimes along those lines anyways. Now that you've stopped wondering who exactly was in the obscure room with you, you look around, trying to figure out what exactly what is. From the corner, you see a small table shoved in the corner with a huge mess of papers and other such things thrown on top of it. You wonder if these are Muddy's world domination plans. In the farther right corner, you also see a dresser shoved in the corner, stacked with scripts for upcoming stories, chapters and mini-scenes.

Meanwhile though, the young Swampert slowly stands back up and places the chair back on its own wooden legs. He smiles like a goof as his light-orange eyes rest upon you again. "Like what I've done with the place?" he remarks as he observes you examining his room. Your eyes snap back towards him as the Swamp Pokémon grins again. "I even decorated it myself." He puffs out his chest, obviously proud of his rather sloppy mess he calls a room.

You shrug your shoulders, not knowing what to say the Swampert. It was odd enough that a Pokémon was talking (and you understanding) to you yet alone the fact that you just seemed to randomly appear here. After all, you just happen to see an update to this Hoenn League fic and you decided to check it out. Opening your mouth, you begin to ask the Swampert what exactly you were doing here but before a word comes out of your mouth, he answers for you.

"I'm not sure what exactly you're doing here myself," he admits as he strolls the length of the room towards the dresser and picks up a script. You see that its labeled"The HLBMA Script" as he flips through it, his eyes darting back and forth as the pages turn. "Nope. Nothing about strange humans transporting here for chapter forty-four. Forty-four was suppose to be Brendan and Wally's battle chapter." Muddy shakes his head and throws the script back on the dresser, making it land with a loud thud. He cracks his knuckles as he strolls over towards his wooden chair to take a seat.

You check the time on a clock that hangs crookedly on the wall and see that it's going to get dark soon. Great, you're going to get in trouble for being so out late! Even meeting Muddy wouldn't be worth getting in trouble!

Muddy shakes his head again, obviously knowing what your thinking. "I've got candy if you want some," he remarks randomly as he stands back up and walks over to a dusty, blue bowl. His paws reaches in and out produces several bright color candy wrappers. Blinking twice, he reaches back into the bowl and comes back up empty handed. "Guess I ate it all." He smiles as a sweat-drop rolls down his head. He plops himself back in the chair as you find yourself crossing the room to lean against his table. At least you can be comfortable if you're going to be here all night.

"Where's Flare? Sirius? Anyone else?" you finally pipe up as your eyes land back on Muddy.

"What, you don't like me or something?" he whimpers, soon laughing afterwards. "They're probably at the cast party. There's a costume party going on. I should be at that same party but I guess I've got to tend to my company," he responses, his smile fading a bit. "I don't think they'd take well if I just bring a random human over."

You nod in reply as you direct your attention towards the dim lightbulb. Surprising, the bulb was still swinging back and forth as if an invisible breeze you couldn't feel was pushing it.

"What exactly are you doing here anyway?" the Swampert pipes up randomly as his eyes cast upwards towards the ceiling.

You glance at him strangely. Didn't he already answer this question for you a few minutes ago?

"I mean as in, what were you doing before you were . . . teleported? Is teleported is the right word? Hmm . . . yeah, teleported, here?" he remarks again, giving more explanation to his question.

You think back and remember yourself clicking the title to Breezy's infamous story, "HLBMA." As you find yourself finishing Breezy's ranting part (who dare I say complains that the chapter up ahead does, indeed, suck) before the fic, you find yourself suddenly closing your eyes against your will and then finding yourself in Muddy's dim room. It's then you wonder if the bulb lights up by brain power, giving a good reason as to why the room was so dark.

"Well, I was starting to read "HLBMA" but then I just found myself here," you reply as you shift your weight again.

"Ah," was all the Swampert said as he leaned back on the two back legs of his chair. "Well basically, Brendan and Wally get in a battle, someone loses, May finds out, the end! Now, let me tell you a story ... A story about Brendan and May on one Hallow's Eve night. 'Tis much better than that battle chapter."

You stare at the Swampert dully, pondering what kind of tale he was going to tell you. Wasn't this the same Muddy that thought feet use to have noses? Wasn't this the same Bemired that tried to dig a hole in the sky to see if anything got sucked into it? You open your mouth to ask if there was someway for you to go back home when Muddy interrupts you.

"I'm Muddy. Do you think I know how to get you home?" He rolls his eyes in disgust and amusement. "So you might as well listen to my tale. What else are you going to do anyway? Talk to yourself? Lotta laughs right there!" He chuckles to himself as you walk across the length of the room and pull out another chair from the table. You plant yourself in the seat as you sit across from the Swampert.

"Okay, fine," you answer. "Tell me the story then."

The Swampert's bright-orange eyes dazzle in the dim light, giving off the reflection of wisdom for a second. You then realize you must be getting delusional from the inhaling too much dust as the Swampert begins his tale.

"It all begins when ..."

* * *

"Brendan!" the young girl trainer screamed as Brendan and she trudged on through a thick forest. It was raining heavily as the two trainers sloshed through mud puddles trying to find their way out of the woods. The moon was hidden by the thick layers of gray clouds, and the only source of light was the flashlight clutched in Brendan's right hand and the lightening that flashed every few seconds.

"Calm down, May. I'm sure there's a nearby cave somewhere," the white-haired trainer stated in a soft and soothing tone. He reached out with his left hand for May's wrist to guide her through the forest. He stopped in the middle of the forest path and looked around, his ruby-red eyes darting back and forth. "Do you have any idea where we are?" he muttered more to himself then to May.

May gasped in horror, her dark-blue eyes wide in shock. "I thought you said you knew where we were!" she shouted as she tried to pry her wrist out of Brendan's grasp.

"Well, an hour ago I did!" Brendan laughed nervously to himself as he held on tighter to May's wrist to not lose her. He flicked his flashlight straight ahead and the light finally landed on a gate nearby. "See?" He pointed toward the gate as he smiled at the girl trainer. "There's a house up ahead. Maybe we can crash there for tonight!"

May didn't return the smile with her own grin but instead a small frown. "I don't know, Brendan. It looks like one of those gates with those haunted houses, you know?" she remarked as Brendan began to pull her forward towards the old rusted gate. "It could be dangerous after all ..."

Brendan laughed at this. "Don't worry, May. If there are ghosts in this 'haunted house' of yours, Brendan will save you!"

"Well that makes me feel much better. Thanks."

The boy trainer rolled his eyes at the girl trainer's sarcasm as he pushed the gate open with his right hand. The gate swung back on its creaky hinges very slowly. Brendan shielded his eyes so rain wouldn't splash into them, trying to get a better view of the house. Yards away stood a broken down house with weeds growing all around it, cracking the old wooden walls of the house. The moon finally emerged from beneath the clouds and shone down upon the old house, giving it more of a creepier look if possible. The harsh winds blew roughly, causing the antique wooden shutters on the window to bang loudly on the sides of the house. A few windows were cracked in a few places, some were even fully broken. The old-fashioned door swung on its squeaky hinges just like the gate, welcoming visitors who were curious about what was contained within the house.

"Heh." Brendan rubbed the back of his head and entered the yard of the antique house, his hand still clenched tightly around May's wrist. "See? It's safe. We'll be fine!"

May looked at Brendan as if he were a ghost as she was dragged along down the cracked dirt path behind the semi-crazy boy trainer. "Brendan, please let go. I don't want to go in. I'd rather sleep in the rain!"

"Fine then." Brendan released May from his grasp and climbed up the creaky wooden steps that led up to the house. "Go sleep in the rain. Alone. With the starving Mightyenas." He laughed evilly before entering the doorway of the house, his only source of light, his flashlight.

May shivered slightly to herself as the cold rain beat down upon her. Her chestnut-brown bangs stuck annoyingly to her forehead as she crossed herself to retain her body heat. "It's okay. I can stay out in the rain by myself and not be eaten by ghosts!" she muttered to herself as she turned around. The brutal north winds began to kick up again, causing the shutters to slam against the house once again. May jumped up at this and ran inside the house. "Okay, so maybe Brendan needs help. Maybe he's scared," she explained to herself as she continued down the dark hallway to find her traveling companion. She blindly walked down the walked the narrow hall, her hands feeling the wall to guide her way until her eyes adjusted to the dark. A light film of dust coated the tips of her fingers as she trudged her way towards the end, her eyes cast forward towards the back of the hallway. Frigid breath suddenly brushed against nape of her neck, and she froze.

"Hello, May," a voice whispered eerily in her ear before suddenly seizing her by the waist with its freezing cold hands.

May screamed shrilly and tried to turn around to see the face of the perpetrator. Instead what she saw what an annoyingly bright light shining into her face.

"Brendan," she sighed in relief before slapping him across the face.

"Ow! What was that for?" Brendan complained as he released May from his grip to soothe his face. Blood began to rush to his right cheek where May slapped him.

"That's for doing that thing you do!" the girl trainer huffed as she put her hands on her hips. She shifted her weight and stared daggers into Brendan's eyes. "Okay, let's just go find a place to sleep now. I'm tired."

"How fast one changes from sleeping with the Mightyenas to sleeping with the ghosts." Brendan rolled his eyes as the two trainers continued their way down the hallway. "Well, there wasn't much to look at in here. There were a few secret passages that led me back to the beginning of the house, a rather large living room that a few Snorlaxs could probably sleep comfortably in and a lot of guest rooms. Maybe this was a border house or something."

May didn't seem to be listening as she shivered, still trying to contain her body heat. A red and black jacket was shoved into her arms, and she stopped dead in her tracks, clueless. "It's okay, Brendan. I don't want you to be cold too," she remarked as she tried to push Brendan's sweater back towards him.

Brendan's arm didn't budge though. "I'm fine, May, trust me," he replied as he dropped his sweater on May's crossed arms. "You, on the other hand, are wearing summer clothes. So take the sweater."

"If you're sure," May took Brendan's sweater and inserted her arms in its holes. Almost instantly, a warm wash of relief spread over the girl trainer as her arms and fingers began to defrost. She smiled at this as she ran after Brendan who was a few steps ahead by then. "Um . . . thanks," she remarked as she walked to the side of the white-haired trainer.

"Anytime." Brendan and May reached the entrance of the living room and sure enough like Brendan said, the living room was rather large and led to several other hallways. A beam of silver moonlight shown through a cracked and landed upon the center on the room, giving it an eerie, spooky glow. Several dusty couches that were pushed to the sides of the walls were covered in thick white sheets and fragments of broken glass were littered across the floor. A single black rose laid in the middle of the room, its petals shining with dew.

May, curious, walked past her traveling partner and stared at the rose. "Why would there be a rose here of all places?" she pondered out loud as she bent down onto her knees. She reached out and grazed the charcoal-black petals with the tips of her fingers. It felt as if she were bathing in a bath filled with icy cold water as a wave of worry washed over her. She wasn't exactly sure why suddenly this emotion attacked her as she picked up the rose. Her finger brushed up against a thorn which caused a drop of blood to fall upon the beautiful onyx petal.

"Ooh, are you okay, May?" Brendan asked worriedly as he took May's cut hand.

"Yeah, I'm-" May stopped mid-sentence and looked up to stare into Brendan's ruby-red eyes. "Weren't you just behind me?"

"Yeah, I still am too," Brendan replied as he looked over May's shoulder.

The girl gasped and turned around. Sure enough, there stood a white-haired trainer, a small smirk plastered on his face, his hands shoved deeply in his pockets. Unlike the Brendan holding her hand though, this one was sweater-less and clad only in his black and red pants and a white t-shirt. This one was the one that apparently met May in the hallway.

"What? When were there two Brendans?" the girl trainer screamed as she pried her hand out of the second Brendan's grip and backed away from the two white-haired trainers. It was then she bumped into something. "Oh, I'm sor-" she began to apologize when she realized who she was saying sorry to. It was yet another Brendan.

The three Brendans grinned at each other as the third Brendan placed his fingers to his lips and whistled. From the corridors emerged seven other Brendans, each one holding a chocolate bar in their right hand and a black rose in the left. They soon reached the center of the living room and surrounded the poor girl trainer.

"Yo, where did you get the chocolate bar?" Clone Brendan Number Two asked as he watched the seven other clones eat the chocolate hungrily.

"And why?" Clone Number One questioned.

"One does get hungry getting cloned after all," Clone Number Eight answered as he finished the last of his chocolate bar. "And I don't think you want to know where exactly we got this."

"Now ..." Clone Number six remarked as he crumpled up his chocolate bar wrapper, the other five clones doing to same. "Time to get Miss Maple. After you, Clone Number Three."

Clone Number Three shook his head. "No, no, no. After you, Clone Number Eight."

"No, after you."

"After you, I insist."

"IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE CLONE BRENDANS!" May screamed as she darted behind Brendan clone number three and jumped over the dusty living room couch. She peeked her head over the top as the ten clones of the white-haired trainer began to advance on her.

"Don't be scared, May," the ten Brendan clones said in the same monotonous tone. "We're all here to protect you!" And with that, the ten Brendan's began to laugh as May sunk down and fainted across the wooden floor boards.

* * *

"They say on that one Hallow's Eve night that May had to deal with those Brendan clones for all night . . . " the Swampert remarks as you watch him intently. "No one knows how exactly those clones were made nor whatever happened to them that one fateful night. All we know is that-"

Suddenly, the Swamp Pokémon's room door springs open, filtering the room with a warm golden glow from the bright lights outside. You hear Bemired hiss as he shields his eyes.

"Close the door, you demon dog!" you hear him shout as he blinks twice from the sudden burst of illumination. "I'm trying to tell a scary story of Brendan and May, for Kyogre's sake!"

Sure enough, as you turn around, there stood the infamous Mightyena from the same stories that the idiotic Swampert in front of you works on. Strangely though, his fur was dyed a light orange and he had a pair of long, red-orange and yellow ears that were placed on his head. A long, fluffy and curvy tail hid his regular furry, black one.

"Well excuse me!" the Mightyena replies back saucily as he strides inside the room and closes the wooden door with his back legs. "Rayquaza, a hyena tries to escape one of the most boring parties in the world and he gets yelled at! Whatever ..." You watch as the Mightyena walks over to the Swampert and sits on his hind legs. "I wish I wasn't picked to be a Skitty this year," he complains as he takes off the Skitty ears by running his head against the floorboards.

"But we didn't pick costumes. YOU chose to be a Skitty," the Swampert remarks thoughtfully as he reaches over for a script on the dresser. He begins to flip through it and you read that this script is entitled 'Muddy & Flare.'

"Yeah well, my brain never asked me if it wanted me to be one," the Bite Pokémon replies weakly. He then begins to lick the paint off his fur. "What are you still doing here anyway? Skittles was asking for you." At this, the Mightyena chuckled as he nudged the Swampert with his nose.

You watch Muddy roll his eyes. "Shut up. If you haven't noticed, I have company." He gestures towards you as the hyena Pokémon stares. "Don't ask me why they're here. You know I'm no good at answering questions."

"Is that ... is that a human?" Sirius remarks curiously as he stands back up. He walks over to you and pokes with his cold, wet nose. "Certainly smells human alright. When was the last time you took a bath?"

Muddy shakes his head at this remark. "He's kidding. I think."

Sirius only smirks and laughs for a second before returning back to Muddy's side. "So what are you guys doing? Are you eating cookies? Did you save any for me?"

"No, we don't have any cookies." The Swampert continues to through the 'Muddy & Flare' script. "Is the party really that boring? Is it a good thing that I'm missing it right now?"

"Remember your birthday party?" you hear the Mightyena mention.

"Yes."

"Well, it's the exact thing happening, costume style."

You start to feel bored as the two Pokémon have their conversation so you get up from your seat and leave Muddy's room. Glancing back and forth, you turn right to where a bright light was shining from around the corner. Turning right again, you see a set of open white doors welcoming you with its warming glow. Was this the boring party that Sirius was talking about?

Curious, you walk down and enter the bright, sunshiny room and spot several different Pokémon characters from the stories Breezy writes like Flare the Blaziken and Silver the Ninjask. As soon as you enter the party room though, all of the Pokémon take notice of you. You feel uncomfortable yet again just like when you first met Muddy as Flare strolls over to you.

"Who are you?" she asks in her Pokémon tongue.

Yet again, you understand this Pokémon language. You don't answer though for you are too busy gazing upon the other Pokémon cast members. Finally, blinking out of your trance, you look back at the Blaziken and answer,

"A person."

"Well no duh!" the Blaziken remarks back with sarcasm dripping off her tongue. "I mean your name."

After stating your name to the Raging Fire Pokémon, your eyes wander off yet again to meet the eyes of another Pokémon. This Pokémon was known as Skittles, the Delcatty who was now obsessed with the infamous Swampert a few hallways down. She smiles at you at you as you stare back into her own chocolate-brown orbs.

"Hi! Do you know where Muddy is?" the Delcatty asks automatically, her grin plastered perkily on her face.

You nod but shrug, not sure if you should tell the cat Pokémon or not. She does seem to have a rather ... obsessed crush on him right now right? Just like Thunderbolt, the Manectric.

"You poor thing. Did you hang out with Muddy all night?" the Blaziken asks as she goes over to the table and picks up a piece of cake decorated with black frosting and orange sprinkles. "I hope you didn't have to sit through his plans for world domination. He does that to everyone that enters his room." She rolls her eyes as she walks back over and takes a bite out of her cake. At this sign, the Pokémon began to chit chat again.

"Actually, no," you reply as you watch the Blaziken eat her dessert. "He told me a story about Brendan and May and their trip to some haunted house. He states that there were Brendan clones in there or something."

"That Bemired sometimes." Suddenly, you watch as a large colorful butterfly land on Flare's shoulder, her wings gracefully closing and opening every few seconds. "Surely you know the true story of what happened that fateful night, Flare? Not that bizarre twisted version that Muddy tells where Brendan was cloned or something."

"I do in fact. Care to hear to the real version?" the Blaziken asks as you plop yourself in a red, cushy couch.

You nod your head as the Blaziken sits down next to you, the Beautifly fluttering over to land on your head.

"Well, let's get to the part where Brendan and May enter the living room ..."

* * *

The room was dark and wet with moisture from the storm outside as Brendan and May entered the room. May, clad in her collared red and white tee-shirt and black biker shorts with Brendan's sweater over it, entered the room first, her sapphire-blue shooting back and forth. Her eyes cast over several large, faded blue couches cloaked with dirty white sheets and a few vintage oak tables. The girl trainer brushed past the boy trainer and trailed her finger across the oak table.

"This place is weird," she muttered to herself, observing what her fingertips picked up. She rubbed her fingers together and turned around to face Brendan. "So you think this is a border house?"

Brendan nodded as he came up to May. He shoved his hands in his pants' pockets and stared at the wooden planks of the floor. "Well, no use standing around here. Let's move!" His head snapped up in excitement as he raced off towards a dark corridor, the flashlight in his hands being his only light source.

May turned her head and saw Brendan run. "Brendan, wait up!" she shouted as she chased after the boy trainer. With her heart set on beating the boy in the unannounced race, May dashed into the hallway only to bump into the white-haired trainer himself. "Hey, why did you stop?"

The white-haired trainer seemed to be at a loss of words as he pointed one shaky finger forward. May's dark-blue eyes widened at the sight as the two trainers slowly backed down the hallway. The two soon reached the main lobby area where a pair of evil looking Baltoys followed after them. Their dark-orange eyes pierced through Brendan's ruby red and May's sapphire blue as they advance on the quivering duo.

"G-ghosts," May muttered as she clung onto Brendan like a teddy bear.

"Ouch, don't hang on so hard!" the boy screeched as he felt the girl trainer's fingernails dig into his skin. Brendan's crimson-red orbs narrowed into slits as he reached out for a Pokéball. "Back off," he said in a fierce voice as he enlarged the Pokéball he held in his hand to the size of an Oran berry. "Or I'll ... or I'll ... or I'll ... uh-"

"Or you'll what? Mumble me to death!" the Baltoy remarked gleefully as she flew circles around Brendan's head. "'Tis too bad that I already am, hehehe!"

"Er, did that Baltoy just ... talk?" May murmured as she blinked twice in confusion and bewilderment.

"Got that right, toots," the other Baltoy replied in a deeper voice then his other Baltoy friend. He flew up to May's eye level and stared straight into her dark-blue orbs. "Boo."

May screamed and ducked behind Brendan, peeking her head above his shoulder every now and then. "G-ghosts!" she shrieked again as she trembled. She bit her lip. "Make them go away, Brendan! Make them go away!"

Brendan only laughed at the girl trainer's antics. "Oh c'mon, May. They're just harmless Baltoys. If they haven't entered our minds then I think we're safe. So breathe in, breathe out. That's right, he he he, hoo hoo hoo."

"What the heck are you doing? I'm not pregnant!" May snapped as she punched Brendan lightly on the shoulder. She huffed, almost forgetting the fact that there were a pair of talking Baltoys in front of her.

"Oookay ... well, I'm Brendan and this is May. So er, yeah, hi!" Brendan grinned as a sweat-bubble rolled down his head. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Steve," the male Baltoy replied. "This is Shannon."

"Those don't sound like Pokémon names to me," May piped up as she stood next to Brendan instead of behind him.

"So?" Steve asked in a huff. "Maybe we aren't normal Pokémon? I mean, who would want to be called something like ... Bemired or Flarember or something? Stupid names if you ask me!"

Brendan and May blush in embarrassment as they remember their first Pokémon's names.

Shannon grinned at the look on the two trainer's faces. "Well now that you met me and Steve over here-" Shannon turned around and whistled, the loud musical note traveling down the empty hallway behind her, "-it's time to meet everyone else! Roll call!"

In a series of loud giggles, laughter, and chatter, several other Baltoys came down the hallway, their eyes filled with amusement, a wide grin plastered on their face like they were painted on.

"I'm Jacob!" the first Baltoy that came out of the hallway remarked proudly.

"Call me Alison!" the second behind Jacob replied gleefully.

A third popped up from behind Alison. "Mary," she stated in a cool voice.

"Carl," the fourth said in a gruff voice.

From behind the Carl, the fourth Baltoy, stood a short, jet-black haired little kid. A pair of broad glasses sat squarely and perfectly on the bridge of his nose and his bright green t-shirt was quite noticeably even in the dim light. Despite all the Ghost Pokémon that surrounded the young girl trainer, May's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the mere boy.

"And I'm Max!" the boy said loftily. "Hi, Sis!"

May screamed shrilly at the sight in front of her. "The horror!" she shouted as she practically flew down the hallway in fright.

"Uh ..." Brendan blinked his ruby-red eyes twice, not noticing a bright flash of white light that came from his Pokéball belt.

"What's her problem?" Muddy asked, pointing to the shrieking girl trainer that was running towards the exit of the house screaming her head off.

"Mmm, I think she's freaked out that Pokémon can talk and that she can understand them," Brendan answered as both Pokémon and trainer followed May out of the antique house.

"Imagine that! Pokémon talking!" Muddy laughed. "You've got quite an imagination, Brendan."

"I'm serious, Muddy!" the boy trainer protested as the two stepped out of the house to the

"Oh come on. I'm the stupidest Swampert in the world and even I know humans can't understand Pokémon!"

__

* * *

"I find that tale quite ironic really," the Beautifly states as she flies off your head and onto Flare's shoulder. Her crystal-blue eyes sparkle in the light. "If Pokémon can't talk human, then how can humans understand them? And why the heck is Max, May's supposed brother, there?"

You watch as the Blaziken slaps her forehead in annoyance. "That's the entire point Cherry, it's suppose to be ironic because of what Muddy said in the end and yada yada yada ya! And I don't know. Max being there is random" Flare stands back up and looks at you. "Well that's the real tale! Now what?"

You only shrug in reply as you stand back up as well to stretch your sore legs. Glancing around the room, your head darting back and forth in excitement, your eyes land upon a nearby clock. You begin to worry for you've been here long enough. Opening your mouth to speak so you can ask if there was anyway for you to go back home, the slamming of the door catches your attention.

"Muddy, the door was already open. Why the heck did you have to slam it open again?" a voice from behind you questions. You recognize this voice as Sirius's, the hyena you just met moments ago.

You turn around to catch a glimpse of the Swampert shaking his head. "Because my doggy, hyena, wolf, whatever you are friend," you hear him answer, the door represents my head, the slamming represents the cheesecake. The end! No lie, true story, I was there."

"Whatever."

Muddy's eyes land on your sitting on the rosy red couch. He slowly points to you as if he had trouble lifting up your arm. "You," he says, "it is time."

"Time for what? the Blaziken asks in confusion.

"Time ..." the Swampert trails off. "Time is a valuable thing with two hands. Time is the true essence of life. Everyone needs time. Everyone thinks we need to catch up to time but in reality time needs to catch up with us. "

You watch as the Mightyena looks towards a neon blue clock on the wall. "Er, clocks have three hands don't they? You know, the one that goes pretty fast, the one that goes kinda slow and the one that never likes to move except every hour?"

"Whatever. Anyway, it is time for me to tell you ... that Flare told you a fake story! My is the real one! Pokémon talking, pehshaw my friend, pehshaw!"

The Raging Fire Pokémon only rolls her eyes in annoyance. "In all honestly, who would you believe? Me or that walking talking Tellytubby over there? "

"Don't confuse me for the purple one!" The Swampert smiles to himself for a second before blinking twice. "Wait, what's a Tellytubby? Why do I know that one is purple?"

"I like their Tubby Toast or whatever it's called," the Mightyena pipes up randomly. "I like eating the Tellytubbies better though!" You hear Sirius laugh evilly before choking on his own spit.'

"It is so true, not like your own cloning story!" Flare retaliates after a few seconds of silence. You watch, amused, as the Blaziken begins to advance on the Swamp Pokémon. "At least Pokémon learning how to actually speak human is possible!"

"You can clone!" the Swampert quickly debates back. "Ponyta can be any Pokémon it wants even if it's not a Ponyta!"

"That has nothing to do with what were talking about!" You wince as Flarember's voice suddenly rises to a shout. "So ha!"

You observe Bemired who only shrugs his shoulders in reply and looks down at the ground. "Well, happy birthday to me too! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ALL!" The Swampert laughs evilly and storms out of the room only to come back in. "SURPRISE!"

"I think one got too high on life if you know what I'm saying," Sirius chuckles as he watches Muddy try to do a head stand only to topple over like a domino. "Fun times, fun times."

"Oh, Muddy. Be careful! You could get hurt," you hear the Delcatty pipe up as she trots over gracefully to the fallen catfish Pokémon. You watch, entertained, as the Delcatty climbs up onto Muddy's back.

"Great, the cat is on me huh?" Bemired only sighs in frustration as he stands back up. Surprisingly though, the Delcatty is still on the Swampert's back. Her nails are dug deep in the Swamp Pokémon's skin, you observe, as the Delcatty claws her way up to Muddy's shoulder.

"You've got serious issues." The Mightyena shakes his head. "And you know how I hate using the word 'serious' in sentences."

You start to feel funny at the word 'serious' and you raise your hand up to your face. You notice that your hand is beginning to fizzle out and turn invisible right before your eyes.

"I guess serious was the keyword," Sirius remarks noticing the change that you are going through.

"LATIOS! A ghost!" Muddy shrieks in horror.

You watch as Flare slaps Muddy upside the head. "Hello? You were only talking to this person a few minutes ago!"

"Oh. That's right" Muddy strokes his chin as to look intelligent. "Who are you again?"

"THE READER!" all the Pokémon in the room scream at once.

You watch as the Swampert shakes his head in amusement. "You guys are so easy to frustrate." Bemired pays attention back to you. "Well see ya, whoever you are!"

"THE READER!"

"I know that already! Calm down!"

"Ya'll come back now, ya hear!" Sirius barks joyfully as your legs begin to disappear. "We still got Christmas! Maybe you're invited!"

"Yeah, whoever the hell that is," you hear Muddy remark dully.

The Pokémon in the room sigh in frustration. "THE READ-"

"I KNOW IT'S THE READER!"

You find yourself closing your eyes and then suddenly opening them only to find yourself back in the real world, sitting in front of a computer screen. HLBMA is still open as you wonder if what you experienced was real or not ...

You shrug to yourself as you scroll down eagerly to read the next chapter to HLBMA. It's the battle between Brendan and Wally you know? But then you realize ...

Breezy never wrote the battle chapter. Perhaps this was an elaborate plan to stall you. Perhaps this was a devious plot for her to gain more time. Damn that Breezy. Ah well, perhaps tomorrow she'll actually update ...

If you don't kill her for not writing the battle chapter in the first place.

* * *

Hopefully this will tie you over 'til I get the real chapter out tomorrow. At least if you like Pokémon based chapters anyway.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/14/09**


	40. Clash of the Boy Trainers!

**Disclaimer**: I've got no strings to wear me down, I've got no Pokémon to claim right now. I've got no strings, so now I'm free, Pokémon doesn't belong to me.

Muddy _:looks up:_ Catchy.

Thanks._ :grins:_

Muddy: But stupid! XD

-.- Anyway, sorry for the long wait, lost the file to this story, so I had to start from scratch ... again. Enjoy though, ja?

Muddy: Stupider then the stupidest stupid thing in the stupid world Stupitopia in the house of Stupidia in the room-

Flare: We get it, Muddy.

Muddy: -of el Estupido in the bed of Stupidvilla in the blankets of-

Flare: And yet he keeps on talking ... Enjoy!

Muddy: Stupidish! Yah!

Flare: Save me.

Muddy: So how are you? I'm good. How 'bout-

Flare: SHUT UP AND LET THE FIC START ALREADY!

Muddy: Meep. o.O Enjoy?

**A/N:** You're prolly wondering why I have less chapter than usual. It would be because I deleted some of the stupid ones, heh. _:sweat-drops:_ But if you wanna read them again, go to SPPf and look around the thread there. 'Sides, I'm making a new Pokémon based fic anyways to refill your need for Muddy for some odd reason. o.0

Muddy: People love me!

Whatever.

* * *

**Clash of the Boy Trainers!**

**

* * *

**

"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

The white-haired trainer slowly turned around and stared at the green-haired trainer through his scarlet eyes. "Pardon?" he asked as he cupped one hand behind his ear.

Wally marched up to Brendan and poked one finger at his chest. "You heard me!" he snapped angrily. "You. Me. Four-on-four. Battle. Now! What? Scared to battle a wimp like me?"

"Yet again, I repeat, you have had one too many coconuts." Brendan, once again, turned around and walked away, his feet squishing down the long blades of clover-green grass, toward the bamboo ladder. Gripping the sides of the ladder, Brendan heaved himself up toward the top level and looked down upon the furious emerald-eyed trainer. "Catch ya later, Wood!"

Wally's frustrated scowl was soon replaced by a thoughtful smile which quickly changed into a smart-aleck smirk. "I suppose it's for the best," he remarked in an overly exaggerated tone that Brendan couldn't hear. "I mean, it's not like I need to get any stronger to impress May seeing as I am traveling with her now. I mean, I suppose I am strong enough to take care of her unlike someone I know. It's not like I'd turn my back on her just because of one silly fight. And it's not like I would fight with her for that matter anyway!"

Brendan only shook his head and sat down on the wooden planks of the treetop porches. He swung his legs over the side. "Silly Wood, thinking that his reverse psychology will work on me. But guess what? It isn't." The white-haired trainer laid down on the planks and placed his hands behind his head, relaxing. "So let me sit here and watch you try to make me so frustrated that I just somehow end up battling you."

Wally placed a finger to his chin and stroked it as if to look intelligent. A light bulb lit up in his mind as an idea came to him. "At least my hair is connected to my head."

"Okay. Who told you that?" Brendan shot up from his relaxing position and glared icy cold daggers through his crimson-red eyes. "My hair is connected to my head, thank you very much!"

"I'm sure." Wally only shrugged over Brendan's glower with a small simper. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight to his left foot. "You know, I hear that covering your true hair is a clear sign of immaturity."

"Who the heck says that? AND NO IT DOESN'T!" Brendan shouted as he jumped up to his feet in outrage.

"Well, it's for certain that throwing fits just like you did right now is a sure sign of immaturity ... and brain cells ... and hair."

"I choose you, Sirius!" the hot-tempered boy trainer bellowed on the top of his lungs as he picked up a Pokéball and threw it toward the ground below. The Pokéball spiraled midair in a mix of red and white before enlarging itself and blasting open. In a flash of white light, a shaggy-furred, crimson-eyed hyena Pokémon landed on all fours and howled out a mighty battle cry, living up to his name. He dug one paw in the ground and snorted, psyched and pumped up to battle.

"Thought you'd see things my way." The green-haired trainer's smug smile widened as he maximized a Pokéball in his hand and threw it toward the makeshift battlefield. "Come on out, Magneton!" In the blink of an eye, the Pokéball burst open on impact from hitting the ground, releasing a magnetic type creature from within. Its three blank eyes held no emotion as it cried its name in a monotonous tone.

Brendan jumped down from the second level of Fortree, the long, soft grasses cushioning his fall. He gritted his teeth and waited impatiently for Wally to make the first move.

On the other side of the field though, Wally glowered back at Brendan as he shoved his hands in his khakis. He too awaited for Brendan to make the first move because he, for certain, wasn't.

The northwestern winds brushed through the small town of Fortree, causing the leaves on the trees to rustle restlessly as they scratched the bark of the ancient oaks. Pine needles fluttered down from their branches on top of the pine trees and the grass gently tickled the legs of both boy trainers. The air was tense, thick enough to cut with a knife. It alerted the folks of Fortree who noticed a battle being held near their gym. An audience began to crowd the decks of the treetop homes as they too impatiently waited for one of the two boys to get the battle started.

Frustrated, the green-haired trainer grudgingly decided to make the first move. "Magneton, let's start things off with Sonic Boom!" he shouted as he took out his fists from his pockets.

The Magneton cried out its name again before sending out visible light blue waves of sound. The high-pitched whistle was almost unbearable to endure, and Sirius snarled in agony as he stood his ground. The waves only grew stronger though and the hyena lost his balance and flew backwards into a wooden beam that supported the treetop homes. Groggily, the Mightyena got back up, roaring angrily at his opponent. Magneton only stared back at Sirius as it stopped its earsplitting attack.

"Let's go, Sirius! Take Down now!" Brendan quickly commanded.

Sirius jumped at the orders and sprinted towards the Magnet Pokémon, his teeth tightly clenched together, his long, ebony-black tail lashing about. He jumped up, ready to land on the Magneton when Wally quickly countered.

"Use Thunder Wave now, Magneton!"

"No!"

With a twirl of its outer magnets, Magneton shot out a crackle of neon blue energy. It raced toward the unknowing Mightyena and caught him midair, immediately knocking him down. Sirius growled as he tried to move his now immobile legs. Volts of electricity raced through his veins, paralyzing him from moving leg down.

Wally quickly took advantage of Sirius's position. "Now while he's paralyzed! Spark!"

Brendan growled as he held his clenched fists close to his sides. "Try to move, Sirius. It's our only hope!" he shouted.

Sirius, despite all his efforts, failed and could only watch in horror as the Magneton began to crackle with pure electricity. With a swift and steady movement, the Magnet Pokémon hovered down and rammed itself into Sirius, causing both of them to crackle with electricity. Sirius thundered in torment as he skid back a few yards, his fur standing up on edge because of the static. With a quiet whimper, the Mightyena woozily got back up on four feet, apparently weakened by the sudden barrage of electric attacks. With a tiny smirk plastered on his face, Sirius got into a battle position again, his two back legs holding all his weight in case he needed to dodge or sprint.

"Atta boy, Sirius!" cheered Brendan at the sight of his Pokémon's determination. "Now let me think," he muttered under his breath. "Wally could just paralyze Sirius again if I got on a head-on-head attack like that, but Sirius doesn't have many special moves. What to do, what to do?"

"Ha, if you're going to hesitate, then I'm going to take your turn for you!" Wally shouted across the field. "Magneton, use Supersonic to confuse Sirius!"

Brendan thought fast and shouted out the first move that came to mind. "Use Scary Face now!"

The two Pokémon darted towards each other, each one preparing for their attack at the same time. With a twirl of its magnets again, Magneton released a powerful blast of sound waves while Sirius, in return, bared his teeth and made his eyes glow an eerie blood-red. Through the visible sound waves, Magneton caught a glimpse of Sirius's face and for the first time, emotion sparked in its eyes: Fear. On the other side if the battlefield, Sirius stumbled around, dazed, the sound waves confusing him and knocking out his hearing temporarily.

"Eh?" Brendan stared at the odd battle in front of him. A hovering magnet was quaking in fear, its eyes alert for once, its magnets jittering against its base. Sirius, on the other hand, was staggering around like a drunk, his eyes glazed over, his tongue hanging outside of his mouth.

"Use Spark, Magneton?" Wally directed unsurely.

Magneton slowly charged up its magnets but caught a glimpse of Sirius's face. It immediately cried its name in horror and hovered backwards, trying to get as far away from the Mightyena as it could.

Brendan too wasn't certain of his Pokémon's battling condition. "Use Bite, Sirius," he stated weakly.

Sirius finished stumbling around and stood still, his head cocked up to the right as he stared dumbly at the trunks of trees while he awaited orders.

Both boy trainers groaned along with the crowd that swarmed behind Brendan from the rather boring battle. Returning their Pokémon in a beam of red light, both boys said at the same time,

"Tie."

"But not on this one!" Brendan smirked as he picked up another Pokéball and enlarged it by pressing the pearly white button. "Come on out," he reeled his arm back, preparing to throw the ball, "Thermo!"

In a blast of white light and gray sparkles, a silvery-gray blob burst out of his Pokéball, his thick gray antenna bobbing back and forth as he hovered up and down on the battlefield. An unsure smile was plastered on his face as his clear-blue eyes darted back and forth frantically.

"I know it's your first real battle, Thermo, but we can take this twerp on right?"

"Humph." Wally picked a Pokéball from his belt and raised it in the air. "Let's go," he released the Pokéball from his grip as it sailed towards the battlefield, "Swablu!" Spinning midair, a Pokémon broke free from the metallic ball and floated in the air, her puffy, fluffy white wings flapping rapidly to keep herself up and her two, delicate, sky-blue feathers that sat upon her head blowing back in the soft zephyrs. She chirped a soft, little battle cry as she continued to struggle to keep afloat.

Brendan couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You think that little cotton ball is going to beat Thermo? Wow, fun times, Wally, fun times!"

"Size isn't everything," Wally muttered under his breath. "Besides, what about that timid little thing over there that you have out on your side of the battlefield?"

"I call him strong that's what! Thermo, start things off with-

A loud from eruption from the Weather Institution interrupted the boy trainer's command.

* * *

Sirius: Cookies!

That's random.

Sirius: What? A Mightyena just can't randomly shout cookies once and awhile?

Whatever.

Sirius: Don't whatever me. I'm talking to-

Thanks for reading and reviewing as always, guys.

Sirius: Don't interrupt me, I'm not-

LaTeR dAyZ!

Sirius: _:sniffles:_ Whatever.

Muddy: Cheese! _:waves:_

You always have to have the last word now huh?

Muddy: Of course. _:grins:_

**Last Revision: 1/17/09**


	41. Sunsets

Disclaimer: Hi, guys!

**Muddy**: I don't own Pokémon.

Uh ... okay. Why are you boldified, Mud Boy?

Disclaimer: I'm boldified? Okay, Breezy, time to get off the cookies. What's up though?

Flare: Is the disclaimer talking to us, Breezeh?

Disclaimer: Hey! THIS IS MUDDY! I'm stuck as the disclaimer! HELP!

Flare: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: ENJOY WHAT? I DON'T EVEN HAVE A BODY! ;.; Change me back!

* * *

**Sunsets**

**

* * *

**

Brendan couldn't help but roll his eyes at the squealing fangirl who was producing a screech as loud as a Crobat's Supersonic. "Yeah, yeah, yeah; I heard you! Now quit screaming! You're ruining my concentration!"

From the direction of the Weather Institute was a young girl (perhaps nearing the age of ten) standing on the porch of a tree top home, a brightly colored poster with the words "I LOVE YOU BRENDAN BIRCH!" in multiple colors in hand. She squealed in delight as Brendan's scarlet orbs met her own. "Yay, Brendan!" she cheered.

"Whatever. Now where was I?" the boy thought out loud. "Oh yeah! Thermo, use Hail!"

Thermo nodded as his icy-blue eyes glowed another shade of light-blue. With a timid squeak, jets of cold air blasted through the thick trees, causing the branches to groan and the leaves to crackle against each other. Clouds began to huddle together, covering the beautiful cerulean-blue sky with a stormy gray. The clouds rumbled against each other, and the air became crisp and cold, freezing the tips of people's noses. With a shrill cry, Thermo glowed a light blue before changing into a teal swirl, his violet head protect with a gel-like substance right before drops of hail pelted down.

Wally growled under his breath as he held his arm up to protect himself from the barrage of frozen ice. "Use Fury Attack to break the hailstones coming!" he ordered vigorously, his emerald eyes darting frantically as he watched the hailstones grow larger in size.

The Cotton Bird Pokémon flew gracefully, spiraling midair and flipping on her back to dodge the ice. Beak glowing in white light, Swablu shattered a hailstone like broken glass before spiraling upward and breaking a few more coming her way. Reaching a certain point, the Swablu spiraled downward toward the ground, creating a small tornado around her, continuing to break hailstones. Meanwhile, the Pokémon-made tornado blew away the light-weight hailstones, making it easier for both Pokémon and trainer to see and less for Swablu to break.

Brendan only snorted. "Go ahead and blow the hailstones away. I have no problem with that. I'll just create some more! Thermo, Powder Snow now!"

Taking in a deep breath, the Weather Pokémon exhaled frosty breath that zoomed toward Swablu at an alarmingly fast rate. Despite the beauty of the attack with its frost glistening like diamonds and a swirl of cerulean sparkles flying with it, it was a devastating blow for the flying type. With a twitter of fright, the Cotton Bird Pokémon slid across the slippery, icy ground on her stomach before colliding with that of a pine tree. Shivering a bit at the chilling attack, the Swablu slowly flapped her wings and hovered in the air, her eyes filled with weariness and dullness. Letting out a chirp as a battle cry, the tiny bird rocketed toward the Weather Pokémon, seeming to have more energy.

The Castform was surprised by this and took the Take Down attack head on, snapping him out of controlling the hail. His eyes returned back to their pale shade of blue and his teal, gel-like body returned back to its gray form. The two creatures flew through the air before hitting the ground hard, Thermo on the bottom and Swablu on the top. The sun broke through the stormy clouds as rays of sunlight danced upon the slick grass, melting the frost off it.

"Use Fury Attack while you have the upper hand!" shouted Wally, determined.

The Swablu 'kissed' all over the Castform's face with sharp pecks, hurting him. Thermo squealed in pain as he squirmed, trying to wriggle his way out from below the cotton bird.

Brendan bit his lip, hoping that Thermo would be okay after Swablu's 'kisses of death'. Eyes cast toward the sky, the boy pondered for a minute, wondering how he would work his way out of this one. A smirk tugged at his lips at the thought of an idea. "Thermo, Sunny Day now!"

Thermo smirked just like his trainer as he concentrated, closing his clear, light-blue eyes. Seconds later, Thermo's eyes opened quickly but instead of the innocent, endless blue of his eyes, they were replaced with a fiery, passion red. From beneath Swablu (who was still Fury Pecking him), Thermo's gray, blob-like body was transformed, his dusky, silver head transfiguring into that of an amber ball, protected by a lighter shade of orange, gel-like substance. The peppery, gray cloud that he used to float upon was changed into an ashy-white one. Balls of coral substance surrounded his head, looking much like the rays of the sunlight drawn in child-like pictures. The Castform's exterior soon grew hot because of the heat and instantly, and the Swablu jumped off and squeaked in agony, blowing on her stomach to ease the pain.

Meanwhile, there was another break in the weather. Instead of Thermo's previous weather changing attack, the sun seemed to push away the clouds instead of the clouds covering it. The golden orb glowed brighter, the shadows of trees dancing upon the ground, rays of sunlight kissing every inch of bare skin not protected by layers of clothing. The sun smiled cheekily upon the city of Fortree as the battle continued to take place.

Thermo, like the sun, grinned boldly at the bird as he jetted over toward her and rammed into her with a makeshift tackle, causing the bird to fly upward against her own will. She crashed down into the ground a few seconds later, yet she was still conscious and willing to fight. Flapping her wings once again, Swablu fluttered slowly, barely able to keep her head up let alone fly swiftly enough.

The boy trainer was proud of his new Pokémon at this moment. "You're doing great, Thermo! Use Ember to finish her off!" he commanded vigorously.

The Castform nodded in understand and inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest. Eyes burning with power, Thermo released a powerful jet of crimson fire. The Swablu's crystal blue eyes grew wide as she saw the flames coming her way. Screeches were heard as said flames engulfed her in its inferno. Slowly, the attack died down for Thermo ran out of breath, and what was left was an over-done Swablu, her usually pearly wings a charcoal black, and her deep, sky blue feathers a darker shade of blue. Her eyes were closed as she made no movements - the signs of defeat.

"Swablu, return!" The green-haired trainer returned his fainted Pokémon back to her Pokéball and smiled at it. "You did a great job, Swablu. You deserve a rest!" Minimizing Swablu's Pokéball, he switched balls on his belt and enlarged another one. "Roselia, I choose you!" The ball spiraled in the air as Wally threw it before splitting open as it reached a good distance in the battlefield. The ball released a delicate, pretty, little thing with scarlet and azure roses on each side of her body. Adorned on her head was spiky, thorns that matched her green body. Her face was the color of a pale, stormy blue while her eyes (adorned with a thick pair of eyelashes) were closed in a thoughtful manner.

"Using a grass type against a fire type?" Brendan asked, bewildered, snorting soon afterward. "And to think I thought you had at least half a brain."

Wally only shook his head. "Remember the fact that Roselia is my second captured Pokémon while your Castform is the new addition to your team. Experience is overall despite type advantage! Use Magical Leaf, Roselia!"

* * *

Taillows flew out of their nest homes in the pine trees rapidly as an angry girl with cinnamon-brown hair stomped down the dirt road, eyes flashing dangerously in the light. Licking dry lips, May blew up her bangs, her eyes sparkling in the glittering, honey-colored sunlight though her eyes were filled with anguish and agony. A dark cloud hung over her head, grinning jeeringly at her for her losses of both Brendan and her gym battle. Fists clenched by her sides, she bit her cracked lips and swung upward like swatting flies like she were trying to swipe away the depressing thoughts, and, in tainted satisfaction, licked the blood she drew from her lips like the loss of blood drained away the bad memories.

"I'm such a loser," she muttered to herself. "A big, fat loser with none of her goals achieved. Isn't that grand, May? Isn't that grand?" Rolling her eyes from her constant murmuring, the girl kicked up dust off the ground, watching it lazily float back down toward the ground, turning the sky in front of her a dusky brown instead of cerulean. Lips dropping into a frown, she walked through the cloud of dirt, breathing it in yet managing to not cough it out, making her way down the road toward the Weather Institution once more.

"It's not that I want to fail at things ..." she trailed off, licking her lips once more, tasting the metallic tinge of blood. "It just happened, you know?" Thoughts clouding her mind, May glanced upward toward the sky, the honey-colored rays of sunlight blinding her for a minute.

May must have been rather deep in thought, for she happened to not notice a man with a large, brown trench coat on, a hat cocked over his eyes, and a leather briefcase in hand. She passed him swiftly, and the man's eye went along with her, darting from the left to the right. His lips tugged in a small simper as he quickly followed the girl and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss," the man said, stopping May in her tracks. "May I ask you something?"

Turning around and raising an eyebrow at the man's appearance, May nodded. "Um, sure. What?"

"Would your name happen to be Sapphire?"

May rose an eyebrow as she began to back away, for the strange man began to advance on her, a magnifying glass in hand. Reaching out and grabbing the girl, he peered into her eyes with the glass, observing them carefully if trying to prove if she was this "Sapphire" girl or not. May was officially freaked out by this and pushed herself away from the man. She enlarged a Pokéball in her right fist and demanded, "Who are you!" in a loud and angry tone. Eyes narrowed, the girl glowered at the man who quickly released May from his grasp in fright of the girl attacking him with one of her Pokémon.

Clearing his throat and adjusting the collar of his coat, the man cocked his hat over his eyes more if possible and smirked. "I am ... Agent Percy Perry Patterson or Agent Triple P!" he shouted in a voice brimming with pride. Spinning around once, he raised his arm and pointed up toward the sky as if indication that he was number one. "I solve unsolved cases of missing people, and you, Sapphire, are indeed Sapphire!"

Blinking twice in confusion, May only shook her head, replacing the Pokéball back on her belt. She figured that this man wasn't the smartest of the lot and not tough enough to be an actual threat. "I'm not Sapphire. I'm May!"

Silence overtook the two except for the calm chirping of the Taillows and the random rustle of Pokémon leaping from bush to bush. The two were in a staring contest, each trying to overcome each other, but May couldn't help but blink twice, feeling rather awkward around this mysterious man named Agent Triple P.

Agent Triple P on the other hand broke his concentration on May's eyes and began to circle around her like a vulture flying over the dead. A closed fist rested on his chin and his pointer finger gently rubbed it as he walked behind May, an annoying "hmm" humming out of his mouth.

"Indeed, you don't seem to dress like Sapphire." Opening the latches of his briefcase, the odd man pulled out a colorful document filled with pictures of different people. He turned to a certain page and glanced up and down from the documents to May. "Why do you not swing through trees half naked, Sapphire, like you do in this?" He flapped the documents in May's face who immediately slapped them away, perturbed.

"Why would I swing through trees half-naked?" she demanded, pointing a finger at the man's chest.

Since May was so close, the man took a hold of her face again and pried her mouth open, inspecting her teeth. "Where are your infamous fangs, Sapphire?" he insisted on knowing.

"Fangs? What do you take me for?"

The man tore away May's hip pack from her hips and pulled open the zipper, peering inside, a disdain look crossing his face. "Why are you so ... orderly, Sapphire? Isn't Ruby the neat one nowadays? Now, now, I know what happened in your past when Ruby was attacked when you were younger, and you were actually a girl back then with your pretty, frilly dresses, but you being neat now? It just doesn't compute!"

"Who the heck is Ruby, and I am _not _Sapphire!" May shouted through clenched teeth, swiping back her pack and clipping it around her hips. "Now get the hell away from me, you freak!"

The man only "hmmph!" and shoved the documents in his briefcase before stomping down the road. "That's fine then! Everyone calls Agent Triple P a freak!"

"Hmm, I wonder why!"

Agent Triple P only snorted in disgust, muttering things about her definitely not being Sapphire, walking into the distant of the gold of the sun setting behind the rich green of hilltops. The sun was so bright though, and Agent Triple P had to step backward soon after he left, causing May to become furious again.

"I thought I said to ..." she trailed off as soon as she saw the frightened look on Agent Triple P's face, and instantly, she turned her head toward the right, trying to figure out what freaked out the odd man. Glaring back at the sinister eye of the setting sun, May noticed several silhouettes of man coming closer. They were rather broad and muscular as far as May's eye can tell, and seemed to only grow larger as they walked nearer toward Agent Triple P and herself.

There was one man the particularly caught May's attention. He lead the group of silhouetted men, possibly the leader, his pearly whites gleaming in the light as he smiled smugly, his crystal green eyes shining with pride. His dark blue hair was long and tied back into a ponytail, a few bangs dancing on his forehead when the wind kicked them up. His shoes scuffed the dirt, kicking up sand and dirtying his baggy black jeans that matched his black hoodie used to keep him warm on cold nights. A chain hung loosely from around his neck, and on his back was a large, canvas bag, bulging with who knows what.

"Did you see the look on those dumb trainers' faces?" the leader chortled to his group, who immediately laughed along with him. "The idiots! Weaklings too! I don't know why we bother stealing their Pokémon, but someone will least pay us some money for them, huh?" He nudged a man to his left, causing him to chortle louder.

Agent Triple P looked grim at the sight before him. "I know who those scoundrels are," he murmured, stepping back and hiding behind May. "Those are the Pokémon Larcenists-"

"I find it odd that they have such little brains since they steal Pokémon yet they know big words like 'larcenists,'" interrupted May.

"-who steal Pokémon for profit."

"Also another thing I did not know, for after all, I wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation." Stepping ahead, enlarged Pokéball in hand, May glared at the oncoming thieves. "Hey! You five!" she shouted, alerting the Pokémon thieves attention. "What's in the bag?"

Despite the seriousness in May's voice, the thieves couldn't help but cackle at this, for May looked too girly and sounded too girly to be any threat to them.

"Only toys for little girls and boys!" the leader remarked, smirking. "Now run away, little girl. Mama is calling you for supper!"

May only snorted and this and smiled back sweetly at the leader. "Little girl, huh?" she replied thoughtfully, keeping her cool. She tossed her hair back, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Oh, I'll show you little girl!"

"Now, Sapphire," Agent Triple P warned. "These aren't just any thieves you're dealing with."

"For the last time, I'm not Sapphire! And I've faced much worse, trust me!" Reeling her arm back, the girl threw the Pokéball she formerly grasped in her hand, sending it sailing through the air before the ball met the dirt. It opened in a blaze of light and red sparkles, and a Delcatty came out, preening her fur with her pink tongue. She mewed slightly and hopped onto all fours at the sight of the thieves in front of her, and let out a loud, shrill hiss, detecting evil with her strong, cat-like senses.

Agent Triple P only shook his head. "Sapphire, I would-"

"Skittles, go grab that back behind that man's back!" May demanded, ignoring the annoying agent who kept twittering from behind.

With a tiny meow, the Delcatty got rid of cricks in her back, preparing to run. Nimbly, on thin legs, the cat Pokémon darted toward the thieves, but they were a step ahead. The leader, at last second, released a Mightyena from its Pokéball in a beam of red light and quickly commanded a Roar attack, causing Skittles' fur to stand on end, making her run back inside the safety of her Pokéball.

"Good job, Donovan," the leader said, patting the Mightyena on the head. "Use your Thief attack on that girl, steal her Pokéballs!"

With a loud howl, the Mightyena, sprinted toward the girl, and tore her Pokéball belt the way with his sharp teeth, despite the fact that May was clutching onto it for dear life, and the fact that she was on guard from hearing the leader's attack. Trotting over proudly, Donovan deposited of her Pokéballs in front of his master's feet, and the leader quickly picked them up, picking off May's Pokéballs off her belt one at a time, sniffing them, trying to detect what Pokémon were held inside the Pokéballs.

"Let's see ..." he muttered, sniffing May's last Pokéball. "Not a bad round-up. A Blaziken, A Gyarados, a Manectric, a Swellow, a Delcatty, and a Beautifly. Not bad at all." Opening the canvas bag, the man shoved May's Pokéballs inside, causing May to howl in protest.

"Give them back, you creep!"

"Hey, Boss," an underling of the leader remarked cooly. "What should we do with the little girl and the idiot over here? No one has ever seen our face, and if they report us, we'll be in deep trouble with the boss and police!"

The leader only grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Then, I suppose we should dispose of them, huh, boys?"

"Yeah!" cried the rest of the group as they began to advance on the quivering Agent Triple P and the shocked May Maple.

She couldn't help but scream for help - they scared her out of her mind! Not just for anyone though, but for her ...

* * *

Roselia jumped up high into the air despite her feeble legs and began to spin around rapidly. Her once blue and red roses began to glow in a variety of rainbow colors, the lights dancing upon the ground to their own music. With a soft sigh for a battle cry, the rose Pokémon spun straight and rapid into the body of the Castform, causing him to topple over in surprise. He went down in a combustion of flames, severely burning the rose, before returning back to his natural state. He was a gray blob again with blue eyes, shivering on the ground as if it were he that suffered from third degree burns. Weakly, the Castform hovered back up from the ground only to fall back down, too tired to fight.

Brendan bit his lip and pulled out Thermo's Pokéball, returning him in a beam of familiar infrared light. "Great job, Thermo," he complimented as soon as Thermo was safely pulled back into his ball. "You can take a relaxing-"

Now he wasn't one to be paranoid, but he swore he heard someone scream his name. Shrugging it off, the boy trainer switched Thermo's Pokéballs with his infamous Muddy's, realizing that despite type disadvantage, experience ruled over all, and Muddy was definitely more experience than Wally's puny rose Pokémon. Maximizing it to full length, Brendan reeled back his arm, only to be startled by another scream. He turned his head, wondering if it was that insane fangirl with the poster, but alas, she was quiet, too into the battle to utter a peep. This confused the boy greatly, causing him to scratch his head, wondering who the hell dared interrupt him _again_ during his battle.

It was a high-pitched scream, most likely a girl's or one of a boy's who hasn't gone through puberty yet. It was rather shrill too if it were able to echo throughout the town. It sounded oddly familiar though. No one seemed to take notice of the scream, so Brendan asked Wally, who was busy congratulating his Roselia,

"Did you hear that?"

This snapped Wally out of his battle mode for a quick second before he returned back into that state. Blinking his emerald orbs twice, he scratched his head as well in wonderment. "No ..." he said slowly as Roselia returned back to the battlefield. "Prolly just some girl getting her arse handed to her in battle. Now, come on! I want to make you scream!"

"Do you know how nasty that sounds?" A look of distaste crossed Brendan's face at the sentence. "Not that I was thinking like that anyway ..." Eyes shifting toward the side, the boy returned back to his original question. "I heard a scream though. High pitched and loud, just like May's. Did you hear it too?"

"Obviously you miss her too much and are hearing things."

"I'm serious, Walter! She might be in troub-"

A man, furious with the long hesitation in battle, cried out, "Hey! Let's get another fight started already!" Roars of agreement went up at this, causing Brendan and Wally to wince at their fandom for this battle.

"You heard the man." Wally smirked, raising a closed fist to below his chin, his version of a human battle stance. "Let's get this battle started!"

"No," Brendan said coolly. "I'm worried about her now. I know it's her. I know she's in trouble. And if you were her friend, you'd know it too. I'm leaving." With boos uprising from the audience, Brendan quickly sprinted down the springy grass of Fortree only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Wally's words.

"If you leave, you forfeit. And if you forfeit, I win."

That got to Brendan, that's for sure. Never would he lose to the green-hair moron, and never would he give up in a battle no matter who he was against. It was either all or nothing. But ...

Ruby eyes glaring in the distance, Brendan calmly replied, "I don't care. Latios forbid that I _ever_ lose to you, Wally Wood, but I care more about my friend than a silly little battle between us. I, for one, may have lost a battle, but if I don't, I could lose a friend. That's a cheap shot you pulled, Wood, trying to make me stay, and if I didn't, scoring a win on your side. But we all know who won today; we all know. It is definitely not you, that is for certain."

"Boo! You suck at speeches!" shouted the same man who was angry that the battle was on a pause.

"Shut the hell up, noob!" And with that, Brendan sprinted toward the Weather Institution where he supposedly heard May's screams.

* * *

"Come on!" May tugged at the jacket of Agent Triple P, trying to pull him up a tree. Agent Triple P was busy scribbling down on a notepad, muttering things like "Now that's a Sapphire trait" and "Can't believe that this May girl is Sapphire after all!" May rolled her eyes, but she didn't bother to tell the man that she wasn't Sapphire for the fourth time that day. Heaven forbid if she killed his spirit ... or lose his job for that matter.

The Pokémon Larcenists advanced on the tree where May and the now pulled up Agent Triple P where stationed, cracking their knuckles and punching their fists into their hands. May found it terribly old school to do this like they were twelve year-old bullies picking on the little ones, but to this she did not comment. Sure, she could probably take down one if she tried but not all five.

Latias, where was Brendan when you needed him?

May closed the brilliant blue of her eyes, and waited for the bandits to come, awaiting her kiss of death.

"Boss! I can't move!"

Did her ears deceive her? May opened her eyes and saw that a strange, mystic, purple aura surrounded the five, and she turned her head to see where this strange aura was being produced from. A few yards away stood a majestic and regal Psi Pokémon, his silver kinesis spoon clutched tightly in his right hand, the red star on his forehead glowing with energy. It was a Kadabra, and not just any Kadabra either.

Her prayers were answered.

"Brendan?" she murmured in disbelief. Sure, she prayed that her precious B Boy would save her, but she would have never imagined that he would come after the gym battle incident and the Weather Institution battle a few days ago.

Sapphire eyes met that of the ruby ones, causing smiles to spring up to both their faces. It was obviously nice to see their long time companion - despite the fact that they've only been traveling together for a few months - especially for May, who was literally a cat stuck in a tree.

"Keep the aura up, Cy!" commanded Brendan as he rocketed over to the tree where May was stationed. Slapping his forehead, he noticed a familiar man stuck up in the tree with her.

"Why it's Ruby! Ruby and Sapphire together again!" Agent Triple P cried out in delight, scribbling this sighting down on his notepad.

"For the last time!" the two shouted together. "We're not Ruby and Sapphire!"

"My hair _is_ connected to my head for Latios' sake!" shouted Brendan.

"And I don't have fangs!" added May loudly.

Agent Triple P only smirked. "Ah, signs of franticshipping."

Brendan and May couldn't help but blush at this. Even if they didn't know what exactly franticshipping was, they knew what shipping was period - love between people in the Pokemon world. They quickly snapped out of it though, for Brendan brought up the group of bandits frozen in Cy's Psychic.

"What should we do with them?" he asked, rubbing his chin. "They are, after all, the Pokemon Larcenists!"

"Which, I might add, is a rather odd name for a group of bandits," remarked May. Climbing down the slippery trunk of the tree, May reached into the purple aura, feeling rather fuzzy while doing this, and grabbed the bag out of the leader's hands easily. She swung the bag over her shoulder and grinned at the leader, who only widened his eyes in fear.

"Watch the Pokemon anime before?" she asked.

"Yeah, sadly," muttered Brendan.

"Send them flying then."

The boy trainer couldn't help but smirk at the girl trainer's request. He glanced at Cy, the Kadabra, who immediately understood his master's commands. With a twirl of his kinetic spoon, the group of thieves went up in the air and spun in circles, making them dizzy. Like a boomerang, the Kadabra pitched his silver spoon as hard as he could, the purple aura around the bandits doing the same. Like the anime, they were sent flying (perhaps not as high or far though, but nevertheless, enough to give them a rough landing) toward the setting sun in hopes of them never daring to set foot in Fortree again.

Running a hand through his hair, Brendan walked toward May and stood next to her side, returning Cy and thanking him soon after. "You know, May," he began, "I knew you were in trouble."

May smiled. "Did you really?"

"Yep. And I forfeited a battle because of it."

"Really? That's very generous of you to give up for once, and to not be hardheaded."

"I'm not finished though. You know who I forfeited to?"

"Hmm? Who?"

"Wally."

"Oh ..." May turned her head, the wind sweeping up her hair softly toward the side in its gentle embrace. The moon began to glow in its silver glory, and stars began to blanket the night sky - a beautiful blaze of cobalt and crimson eyes winking at them. It was ironic in May's eyes.

"I was scared for you, May," he remarked, eyes glancing upward toward the endless abyss of the nocturnal sky. "You know, I'd never want you to be hurt."

At this sentence, it dawned on her. A smile tugged at her soft, delicate lips. This was something she did not want to fight back.

"Apology accepted, Brendan Birch."

* * *

Ah! Hoennshipping! XP But now Muddy, with a 50th chapter (well, this was the 50th chapter anyway) special song ... (_dims lights)_ You guys get to hear it early lol.

Muddy: It's that special time of year-

Chapter actually.

Muddy: Whatever! Where all the cast comes together in cheer-

Well, Flare doesn't look too happy.

Muddy: She doesn't count! And all of get to say-

Well, not all. Thunderbolt isn't here at the moment.

Muddy: Stop ruining my song, Breezy! Happy fiftieth chapter birthday!

Technically, you're saying that we're celebrating the birthday of our 50th chapter, not the fact that we made it to the 50th chapter.

Muddy: Well geez, Breez. You try to bring joy to the set and this is how you get re-paid. -.-; See if I sing for you again. There's ... Turbid, Murky, and then Drab, the oldest brothers that I have, then there's Mire, Quaggy, and Flood, all related to my blood, next we have is Shawn and me, the set of twins in the family, the younger ones are Swamp and Tide, and that's the end of my brotherly line!

Sirius: STOP THE BROTHER SONG! I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH IT!

Muddy: Let's sing it again! Ready? There's Turbid, Murky, and then Drab, the oldest-

Sirius: _:eye twitch:_

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/18/09**


	42. More Than Friends?

**Disclaimer**: Does it look like I own it?

With the new game, Pokémon Emerald, out, Breezy has decided to make a few changes to the characters.

Muddy: That's right! Flare died!

_(smacks Muddy)_

Muddy: Ouch! What?

That's mean.

Muddy: You've got cooties.

Whatever. Enjoy! I warn thee though: Developing hoennshipping.

* * *

**More Than Friends?**

**

* * *

**

She delicately slipped her hand into a red, black and green glove and pulled it tight. Over her head came down a black and red collared t-shirt, the Hoenn symbol stretched out across it in its respective colors. Loose, baggy, black shorts hung around her waist and black socks were pulled way up so that no bare flesh of her legs could be seen. Around her loose locks of cinnamon brown hair, she tied a green and white bandanna - also adorned with the Hoenn League symbol - around her head. She pulled out a Pokéball from her belt and enlarged it, posing in front of the mirror.

"Well," she said, satisfied, combing her hair through her fingers. "I like it! It's very comfortable too!" Sapphire eyes darting up and down the mirror, she sighed happily and fell backward, collapsing on a bed behind her. She minimized the Pokéball, clipped it back on her belt, and blew up her bangs, waiting for the boy trainer to come out of the bathroom. "Hurry up, Brendan! I want to see those new clothes I got for you! If we want to start fresh, our wardrobe can start fresh too." She giggled at her excuse to go shopping. "I think you'll like your outfit!"

A door creaked on its hinges, and a head with white hair popped out from behind the door. "Um, May," Brendan said hesitantly. "Heh, uh ... I think you gave me the wrong outfit because this one - I mean, of course I'm still hot and all-" arrogantly, he ran a hand through his hair, causing the girl to roll her eyes as she stood up and walked toward the bathroom, "-but this ... this just ain't right."

"Well, let me see!" demanded May, trying to pull open the door.

Brendan held the doorknob firm, keeping the door partially open. "No, no! I'm just wondering if this is actually my outfit. There's no need to see it."

"Nonsense, B Boy! Now, open this door!"

"No! I look ... I look ... I'm so ugly!"

"A few seconds ago you said you were hot."

"And I am hot."

"Hypocrite."

"I am not a hippo! Are you calling me fat?"

"You're such a girl!"

"_You're_ a girl! Burn!"

May took a hold of the doorknob and leaned backward, putting all her weight on her feet to try and pull the door open once more. Despite her efforts though, the boy - who at the age fourteen at the time - was stronger than her. In hopeless defeat, the girl trainer let go of the door only to smile evilly, ideas racing in her head, causing the boy trainer to glance at her worriedly. He knew it was bad when May smirked.

"Fine, you don't have to show me your outfit," she said, stepping backward. "But if you do I'll have a little present for you."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. This was a new tactic. "And what may that be?" he asked, curious.

She just winked at him and treaded over to the bed to sit down. She crossed her legs and smiled innocently. "Well ... I'm waiting," she said in a voice lower than usual, giggling soon afterward.

_Oh, the seductive trick,_ thought Brendan._ I mean sure, just because I have raging hormones, and while it is believed by our fans that we like each other doesn't mean I'll fall for her tricks! Nice try, widdle May, but I'm hard apples - hard apples? Hardcore perhaps? Well, apples have cores so I see how I can get confused. But that's right, I'm hardcore! Then again, what does being hardcore have to do with this type of scenario?_

"Oh, Brendan," May called out again. "My little gift remember?"

_What the fudge is a little gift anyway? Mmm fudge ... I hope it's chocolate. I like chocolate. She'll have chocolate right? I mean, girls like chocolate, especially during that certain time of the month. Yeah. Maybe she'll give me chocolate. Chocolate is a funny word. It's kinda like they're saying "Choke a lot" ... Latios, I discovered those chocolate makers secrets! They want to choke us with their product! How devious of them. Wow, I so didn't know I knew that devious was a world. I surprise myself sometimes._

May, impatient, lowered her head and peered at Brendan through her thick eyelashes, trying to seduce him. It seemed as though he was in his own little world though for his head was pointed upward toward the ceiling like he was deep in thought.

_My name is Brendan, Brendan, Brendan, that's what they call meee ... I'm wearing black shorts, black shorts, black shorts, that's what I'm wear-_

It felt as if the door was ripped out of Brendan's hand like an older sibling taking away a toy selfishly from her younger sibling. And there he stood, a long, tight orange t-shirt clinging to him, showing off his developing abs, with high black shorts that were way too high for his liking that also clung to his body. His feet were squished into a small pair of red, black, and yellow sneakers with socks, one falling down, that only came up to mid-ankle which he found awfully odd since most of his socks were long or low cut.

"Oh!" May gasped in surprised as she gripped the door with both gloved hands. Her cheeks blew up as if trying to contain her laugh, but she burst up anyway, laughing hysterically. Breathing deeply, the girl managed to stare the boy in the eye. "Brendan, I think those are mine." She laughed again and fell down to the roughly carpeted floor, laughing on her back.

"Haha, very funny," the boy trainer said sarcastically, rolling his ruby eyes, placing his hands on his hips. He saw this and quickly changed his position; after all, he didn't need to make girl movements while in girl's clothing. "So, CAN I HAVE MY REAL CLOTHES BACK?"

May used the door to support herself as she pulled herself off. "Yeah," she said, taking off Brendan's gloves and slapping him lightly in the face with them. "If that is what you wish. I think you do look rather pretty in them. All you need is a bit of eyeliner, and I think we're good! You do need to shave those hairy legs of yours though."

"One day when you're in an embarrassing situation like I am I'm not going to save you from it."

"We promised that we'd always have each other's back though."

Brendan smiled and laughed softly. "Yeah ... Yeah, I guess you're right, huh?" He closed the door, and May heard him slam his back against the door, obviously struggling to pull off the tight shorts. A few minutes later, Brendan emerged from the bathroom, May's actual clothes in hand, dressed only in plaid, green boxers. He smiled cheekily as May covered her innocent sapphire eyes. "It's not like you haven't seen me in boxers before, May."

"What are you saying?"

"Wow, no need to get so sensitive about it. I swim in boxers you know."

May only huffed and blushed, looking the other way, taking back her clothes, and locking herself in the bathroom. Another few minutes passed and the door clicked open, revealing only May's hand holding Brendan's real clothes. He gladly took them and the hand retreated back inside, the door locking again soon afterward. So there Brendan stood in front of the mirror, poking his head through his shirt and sliding on his baggy black shorts that thankfully didn't cling to his skin. He tied a green and white bandanna - the same style of May's - around his head, pulling back annoyingly short strands of white hair. He slipped on his gloves and bent his fingers into them, trying to loosen the tough leather. Bending down to tie his green, black, and red shoes, Brendan heard the door open, revealing a slim girl with clothes that fitted her perfectly in his eyes.

She didn't think like he did though. "These clothes make me look fat," she said disdainfully as she glanced at herself in the mirror. "Trade me your clothes back! You looked better in these than I do!"

Brendan only raised an eyebrow, instantly answering the girl's question. "You're not fat," he said truthfully. "You're far from it. I bet I could pick you up with one hand if I tried."

"And break your back from my weight!"

"Please, May." Brendan swung his backpack over his shoulder and ducked his head underneath the one strap. He checked his belt, making sure he had all his Pokéballs. "Girls would honestly smack you in the face if you said that in front of them. Hell, I'd smack you if I wasn't a guy."

"Gee, thanks," May replied, wondering if to take that as a compliment or complaint. She clipped her fanny pack around her waist and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Let's go train. I really need to because of that last gym battle." She sighed. "Sometimes it's feel as if I'm not cut out to be a Pokémon trainer. I should become a researcher ... or even a coordinator." She pondered this for a minute, a finger resting lightly on her chin before Brendan snapped her out of it.

"Alright, let's go then."

"Right!" May turned the rusty golden doorknob of their Pokémon Center room before a hand touched her shoulder. She turned around and saw Brendan's face a few inches away from her own. "Um ... Can I help you?" she asked, blushing a light pink.

"I showed you my outfit. Where's my little gift?"

"You're silly, Brendan. I knew that you would think about it, and I know how thinking kind of dazes you out so-"

"My gift? Please?"

"Fine." May, quickly thinking, gave Brendan a chaste kiss on the cheek and smiled. "Happy now?"

Brendan only grinned back and let go of May's shoulder. "It was nice ..."

"I'm glad then."

The two exited the room, Brendan closing the door behind him.

_I'm sad. I didn't get my chocolate._

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the little town of Fortree with the heavens a rich blue and the clouds puffy and white. The sweet scent of grass drifted above the town, matching the serene setting. Pine trees rustled in the delicate northern winds, and the sun was high above, golden rays touching the tops of treetop homes. The town was relatively quiet except for the occasional group of children laughing or a couple of adults chatting amongst themselves.

"It's quiet ..." Brendan said, eyes darting back and forth. "Too quiet. I don't like it one bit." He questionably glared a ten year old who scurried away at his presence, and he laughed at this, wondering if it was bad or good that a kid ran away just by looking at him. "Anyway, Pokémon. Which ones did you use against Winona during your battle? Maybe we can think of a strategy if training fails."

"Well, let's see." May cocked her head toward the left, thinking, her finger rising and resting on her chin again. "I used Thunderbolt against her Swellow but they both fainted when their attacks collided with each other. And then I used Hydro against her Skarmory, but Hydro fainted, so I used Skittles, but then-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, wait a minute," Brendan interrupted, stopping May's story. "Skarmory would be a steel type correct? Why didn't you use Flare? Major type advantage since she is part fire type too remember?"

"Yeah, but," May disagreed, "she's also a fighting type as well so Skarmory has flying type moves! So I'd figure I better not risk it."

"It doesn't matter! Since Flare kicks rear in the offensive and special offensive, a few fire type attacks would have that bird melted on the floor. Flare doesn't have that bad of speed either, so she could of easily dodge a few flying-type attacks. But anyway, who else did you use?"

"Well, Skittles defeated Skarmory-"

"Surprising."

"-so then Winona sent out her Pelipper. Pelipper beat Skittles so I sent out Tai in hopes that his speed could match Pelipper's. I was thinking of sending out Flare-"

"So Flare could have two disadvantages against her? Sheer brilliance, May."

"-but I didn't in the end. Tai did beat up Pelipper since Skittles wore it out pretty good. You know the rest right? Winona sent out Altaria and you came and Tai was tired and well, I lost pretty much."

"I see." Springy grass changed into rough sand as the two stepped out the dirt trail that lead toward the outskirts of the city. "Well, it would have been smart to use Flare instead of Skittles or Tai, but it was mainly overpower from a dragon type huh?"

"Well, I suppose so."

Brendan only nodded and turned around, his shoes bending down blades of grass as he walked away from May. "Alright then. Now that I have all the info about your battle ..." He turned around again and enlarged a Pokéball in his hand.

May, confused, scratched her head. "What are you doing?"

Brendan slapped his forehead. "You said that the first time we battled too. Haven't you gotten it down already? It's a Pokémon battle, stupid!"

May glared at the white-haired boy. "Stupid? I'm not stupid! But they say it is contagious." She blinked twice. "Er, total deja vu huh? I think I said that the first time too along with your 'It's a Pokémon battle, stupid!' Just goes to tell ya how creative I am." She coughed, peering into the distance, her hair blowing back in gentle gusts. "It's a bit breezy today isn't it? The breeze always goes in the same direction doesn't it? So unimaginative that breeze."

"Mmm, whatever." Brendan nodded and reeled his arm back, ready to throw his ball, when a strange melody played in the background, growing louder with each passing second. "Er, do you hear that music? It kind of sounds like news reporter music. Do you think we have music when we challenge trainers?"

"That'd be cool!" May giggled. "We'd have the same music 'cept mine would be higher than yours and yours would be all low. But yes, I do hear news reporter music." It then dawned on her, and she slapped her forehead, trailing her gloved hand down her face. "Oh, great. You know who it is? Gabby and T.Y. of the Pokémon report! Honestly, have you seen some of their latest episodes? They've been gossiping about us! I supposedly have twelve toes."

"They said I was stupid!"

"Well actually-"

"Shut up."

From the thickets, a man with a woman appeared, talking to each other loudly. The man had a red backward cap on and a plain white t-shirt paired with faded jeans. He held a camera and looked through it with his right eye at all times as if he were to find something interesting while lost in the forest. The woman, microphone at hand, had a light blue tank top and a pair of denim jeans on that matched her short hair. Her mouth was rather big too as if you could shove several Oran Berries in her cheeks.

"Look, T.Y.!" Brendan and May heard Gabby gasp. "It's Brendan Birch and May Maple, the most highly acclaimed trainers in the region of Hoenn today! Perhaps they would like to battle us!" She faced the camera and spoke into her microphone as T.Y. gave her a signal. The red light on the camera turned on, indicating that they were rolling. "Ladies and gentlemen, _the_ Brendan and May have graciously allowed us to battle with them!"

Brendan, who walked back slowly toward May, grinned weakly as T.Y. moved the camera in their direction. "Uh, who said we would battle them? Besides, didn't we face them before?" he asked through a corner of his mouth.

May smiled and waved at the camera. "Does it matter? We still have to fight them," she said through her teeth. "And yet again, I repeat, doesn't the breeze always goes in the same direction?"

"Why do you keep mentioning the breeze?"

"What do you say, guys?" Gabby turned toward the trainers and raised an maximized Pokéball toward chin level. "Won't you please our viewers at home? They absolutely adore you two. I believe they call your coupling Hoennshipping. Aw, isn't the cute?

"Wha?" Brendan scratched his head. "I thought it was called Franticshipping."

"No, Brendan," May said. "Franticshipping is Ruby and Sapphire, the people that Agent Triple P confused us with."

"Who's Ruby and Sapphire?"

"No wonder they called you stupid."

"Hey! It's not like you know who they are either!"

"Well?" Gabby asked impatiently, tapping her foot on the ground. "Are we going to battle or what?"

Brendan and May looked at each other and smirked in return, causing the reporter to grin back at them somewhat nervously.

"Well, you did answer for us after all," Brendan began, raising his Pokéball toward chin level as well.

"And I do need to train," finished May, enlarging a Pokéball and raising it up as well. "So I believe our answer is yes! I choose you-" she reeled her arm back and threw it forward, sending the ball spiraling through the air, "-Skittles!" In a beautiful blaze of white light and pink sparkles, a feline Pokémon appeared, her maroon ears preened back, her pink nose that was centered in the middle of her furr,y orange face twitching. She yawned a cute meow as she gently patted down the grass with a delicate foot.

"Skittles?" Brendan asked, confused since it wasn't likely that May was going to use Skittles against Winona.

"Don't worry. I have a plan against Winona," May replied. "I just need to build up Skittles' level."

Gabby followed May's suit. "Come on out-" she released the Pokéball from her hand and sent it sailing toward the grassy battle field, "-Loudred!" The ball broke up and in a beam of light, and a rather tall, purple creature appeared, his ears shaped like the inside of a boombox's speakers, his mouth open and wide, almost matching Gabby's gossipy mouth. Sharp teeth lined the outside of his mouth, and he danced by hopping back and forth on purple feet.

Brendan followed after Gabby. "Let's get 'em, Sirius!" He threw his ball as well, and it spiraled in the air before colliding with the earth, causing the ball to open on impact. A shaggy, black and gray-furred creature appeared from the light, a pink tongue hanging from in between a row of sharp teeth, a long tail elegantly sweeping the skies. Crimson eyes narrowed at the sight of his opponent, as he lowered himself, getting into a battle stance.

T.Y. was the last one to release his Pokémon. Wordlessly, he threw his Pokémon toward the battlefield, and in the same light as the other four, a magnet Pokémon appeared, its one eye rolling all around in its socket as it observed his surroundings. He twirled his blue and red magnets, electricity crackling from doing so.

May chose to go first since she released her creature first. "Use Faint Attack, Skittles!" Skittles closed her eyes and faded away, disappearing into the nothingness.

T.Y. quickly retaliated though. "Use Lock On to find that Delcatty, Magnemite!"

"Magnemite," said the Pokémon in a monotonous tone, rolling its single eye around, trying to find the hidden Delcatty. It let out a shrill shout a few minutes later and twirled its magnets, indicating that it found where Skittles was. Magnets crackling, the Magnemite sent out a small spark toward the direction he thought Skittles was in. The small bolt of lightning struck down the Delcatty, and she let out a shriek, turning visible again.

"While her guard is down! Thundershock!"

The Magnemite nodded and twirled its magnets again, the energy around it growing. Again, a bolt of lightning raced toward the shrieking Skittles, much more powerful than the tiny spark it sent earlier. About to hit the Delcatty, a purple energy ball, crackling with blue energy, none other than Sirius's Shadow Ball, collided with the Thundershock, causing both attacks to explode into black smoke. The four people coughed, trying to swipe the smoke away with the arms.

"Skittles," May said, coughing, smoke causing her eyes to water. "Use your Double Slap attack to blow away the smoke!"

The Delcatty obeyed and quickly swept her tail side to side strongly, blowing away much of the smoke. Still full of power though, she sprinted toward the unalert Loudred and smacked his face with a few sweeps of her tails, causing him to fall over angrily. The Loudred bit her tail with his large mouth, and Skittles shrieked again, running around in circles, trying to rid herself of the Big Voice Pokémon.

Brendan only slapped his forehead and May rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Sorry," she whispered from the corner of her mouth. "She doesn't like to get hurt."

"That's because Delcattys aren't meant to battle! Use your Bite attack to tear that Loudred off, Sirius!" Brendan commanded swiftly.

Sirius, who was amusingly watching his friend and rival try and get rid of the Loudred, got back into a battle stance and watched them again, this time following Skittles' running pattern instead of her actual running instead. Crimson eyes darted back and forth, for the Delcatty seemed to be running in small circles, mainly taking at least ten steps to complete one. He nodded at this, and quickly, while the two were coming his way, stuck his head out and bit on the Loudred's leg as Skittles' passed, getting his teeth out of Skittles' fur and ramming him into the ground.

"Spark attack now!" cried T.Y.

From behind, the Magnemite charged itself up again and rammed itself into the body of the Mightyena, causing the both of them to go up in electric sparks, one crying out in agony, the other unaffected by it. Sirius groaned in pain but got back up on all fours just the same, too full of energy to give up just yet. He was regaining energy though and panted, head bowed down, unaware.

Gabby took notice of this. "Use Stomp on the Mightyena, Loudred!"

Loudred let out a mighty war cry from his big mouth and got up from the ground. A few feet away was the unalert Mightyena, and he smiled viciously and quietly ran over, soon jumping into the air to whack the hyena with a powerful foot.

"Ice Beam on the Loudred!" shouted May.

Chocolate eyes glowing in an icy blue aura, the Delcatty opened her mouth, revealing a small ball of blue energy. Soon, an icy beam exited from within the ball, racing over toward the Loudred and freezing it in a block of ice mid-air. The Loudred crashed into the grass ground a few inches away from the once tired Mightyena who grinned maliciously, eagerly awaiting his master to call out the next attack.

Brendan grinned too, reading his Pokémon's mind. "Sirius, use Shadow Ball again!"

Sirius opened his mouth just like Skittles, revealing a ball of purple energy with crackling blue energy snapping, growing bigger until Sirius couldn't hold it anymore. He released it from his mouth and it quickly collided with the solid block of ice that Loudred was trapped in. The large ice cube slid backward on the grass from the powerful attack and careened into the tree, the impact hard enough for the ice cube to crack into thousands of pieces. Loudred, dizzy from the crash, fell backward, swirls in his eyes - the signs of defeat.

"Loudred return!" Gabby recalled her Pokémon and looked at the camera again. "Yet again I am defeated first by the wonderful trainers Brendan and May. Let's see how my partner T.Y. holds up. Will we succeed? Will we beat Brendan and May this time?"

"Fat chance!" May answered for her as Brendan laughed. "Use a Sing attack, Skittles!"

The Delcatty yawned a bit and out from her mouth came out a soothing lullaby that drifted toward Gabby and T.Y.'s side of the field. She closed her eyes and hummed a bit as Sirius laid his ears back, blocking out her song so that he wouldn't fall asleep. The Magnemite's magnets drooped, its eye half open as he hovered up and down, listening to Skittles' sweet words. He then fell to the ground, fast asleep.

"How about we finish this off together?" May asked, smiling joyfully for they obviously have won.

Brendan nodded, smirking. "Let's! Sirius, use Bite to grab a hold of Magnemite and then throw it toward Skittles!"

"And when in range, Skittles," May continued, "send him flying with a Double Slap attack!"

Both Pokémon nodded at this. Sirius nimbly ran toward the sleeping Magnet Pokémon and picked him up by one magnet with his sharp teeth. He found his footing on the ground and swung the Magnemite back and forth in his teeth before letting go. Magnemite sailed through the air toward the awaiting Delcatty, her tail glowing with energy. With a loud battle cry of a meow, Skittles swung her tail back and forth before she whacked the hard metal exterior of Magnemite, and despite the fact that it hurt, the Delcatty managed to send him flying – a home run. The Magnemite, who awoke at last minute from the hard hit against its side, crashed into a tree branch and skid down the tree trunk, its single eye closed.

"Ah! Magnemite, return!" cried T.Y., returning his Pokémon in a beam of red light.

"And there you have it, folks," said Gabby, talking toward the camera again. "Yet again, we have been defeated by the brilliant trainers Brendan and May. Let us see what they have to say about this battle. Mr. Birch, Miss Maple, what do you have to say about this battle?"

"It was encumbered!" shouted Brendan, laughing at his large vocabulary word for the word "burdening" as he scratched his Mightyena's belly, returning him soon after.

"Encumbered ... I like it! It explains our battle perfectly!" Gabby smiled, unaware of what the word actually meant, but more happy about the fact that Brendan Birch answered. "And what about you, May? What do you think our battle was like?"

"I think it was lethargic!" called out May who was scratching Skittles behind the ear before returning her. She smiled at the word which meant stupid hidden within it's five-dollar word exterior.

"Encumbered and lethargic ... Not only great battlers but also smart as well." Gabby grinned. "Thank you for tuning into another Pokémon Report. I am Gabby Gospis, and good night!" She motioned with her fingers to stop rolling which T.Y. obliged. "Thank you, guys!" she shouted toward Brendan and May as both she and T.Y. walked away into the deep thickets of the forest once more.

"That was too easy," May muttered as she returned Skittles into her ball in a beam of red light. "Ah, well. At least Skittles got some experience points right? And that's all that matters."

"_Riiiight_," Brendan said, following suit. He clipped his ball back on his belt and gazed into the deep blue of the lake that separated them from Mauville. "Let's take a small break." He sat down and swung his feet over the side of the cliff, breathing in the fresh scent of the lake water. May walked over and sat down next to him, the wind teasing her bangs.

"You know," she said, leaning back on her hands, enjoying the cool breeze, "I think the reason that I lost that battle was because you weren't there. I didn't like the feeling of being alone."

Brendan stared at her while her eyes were closed. "Really? Because I always figured that me randomly appearing there surprised you and was one of the reasons why you lost that battle. Besides, you weren't alone. You had Wood, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. But he doesn't know me as well as you do." She leaned her head on Brendan's shoulder who's cheeks flushed a light pink. He pretended that it was from being out in the sun, for he began to fan himself. "He's my friend of course, but we're not close like we are. I mean, you're like my brother."

"Brother?" Brendan said, surprised as he stared at the top of May's head.

"Yeah, brother, silly." She closed her eyes, smiling.

"That's it?"

"Well ... yeah."

"Oh. Well, uh ... Thanks." Brendan felt awfully awkward for some reason which he didn't understand. It wasn't like he liked her or something. Hell no! He would never like his best friend! She was like his sister like how she felt about him right? _Right._

May opened her eyes and looked upward, peering into Brendan's ruby ones. "Is something wrong with that?" she asked worriedly, for Brendan looked saddened and troubled. "I mean, I can take it back or something."

"Nah, don't worry about me," he replied, leaning his own head on May's. "Just never realized we were that close. Kind of surprising really. Didn't we use to hate each other or at least not be able to stand each other?"

"I think this journey made us grow up a bit. From all the battles we had to go through and everything we had to go through ... I guess we grew mature."

"No more cooties for me!"

"... Well, I did anyway." May smiled wider and sighed happily. "Hey, uh, what ever happened to Wally?"

"Who cares?" Brendan snorted.

"Brendan!"

"What?"

"What about Wally?" a voice from behind asked. Brendan and May turned around at this voice, and Brendan mentally slapped himself for doing so, for a green-haired, emerald eyed boy was behind them. "Are you speaking ill about me?"

"Of course," Brendan replied rudely.

May quickly sat up straight, taking her head off of Brendan's shoulder. "Brendan! Of course not, Wally!" May said, oblivious of Brendan and Wally's argument this time. She turned around, noticing a green bandanna, the same as both her and Brendan's, tied around his arm. "Nice bandanna, Wally."

"Yeah, well. I kind of felt left out since I didn't wear one of these things," he said, glancing at his arms. "My hair is too big to put a bandanna over it."

"So is your head," Brendan replied angrily.

May stood up and glared at Brendan for a quick second for his impudence. "What brings you over here, Wally? I thought you'd be in the next town by now."

"Well, I was kind of worried about you," he said, blushing a bit. "I mean, I know you called saying that you patched things up with Brandon over here, but still." He lowered his eyes toward Brendan's level. "We cannot depend on those who cannot depend on themselves."

"And what the hell is that suppose to mean?" Brendan quickly hopped onto his feet and stared Wally in the eye, ruby eyes on fire. "I can't rely on myself, huh? At least I don't betray my friends for selfish needs!"

"Tisk tisk, Brendan. Control that temper of yours." Wally was getting a kick out of pestering Brendan. "Betray my friends huh? How ironic is that?"

Brendan lowered his head, clenched his teeth together, and dug his fingernails into his hand, creating them into fists. He began to shake, extremely angry. Usually, he could keep his cool, but the fact that Wally used May's health against him was extremely wicked. "Leave, Wally," he said in a low tone. "Leave before I ... before I do something that I'll regret later."

"Oh?" Wally scoffed. "And what would that be?"

Brendan didn't respond and continued to glare at the ground as if trying to bore holes through it. "Just do it."

"Like that's going to make me go."

May noticed the tension between the two boy trainers. "Yeah, Wally, we've really got to train, so maybe you should head toward town and heal your Pokémon there. Brendan and I need to talk for a bit too, so ... yeah."

Wally only shrugged and turned around, walking down the dirt path. "Alright, I'll be hanging around Fortree if you need me, May. Bye."

"Bye!" May waved good-bye toward Wally, and as soon as he was out of sight, she smacked Brendan. "What was up with that? I know you two are really competitive rivals, but that rudeness was uncalled for! And threatening him too? What the heck, Brendan Birch?"

"You don't understand," he growled, lifting his head to stare May in the eye. "You weren't there ... You wouldn't understand."

"Well tell me what happened then," May replied softly. "I mean, that's what I'm here for. I mean, we are more than just friends after all."

"Yeah, we're almost family," Brendan said, not noticing the hint of sadness that crept into his voice even though May did. "I think I'll keep this one to myself – well, for now anyway. I'm not sure as to why I did what I did, and I'm really confused about something right now, and there's something about chocolate makers choking their customers and ... yeah." He sat back down at the edge of the cliff, May following suit.

"Well, if you need to talk," she leaned her head on his shoulder again, "I'm here for you."

Brendan had the strong urge to wrap his arms around her but he held himself back; after all, "brothers" don't do that, right? He breathed in the scent of her hair and leaned his head on her head again, watching the ripples in the lake's waters when the wind rushed passed it. What was this new feeling in his stomach? He was sure that he didn't like May Maple, the weirdest girl in the world. Why would he want to like her? They were too close like she said.

But then again ...

Brendan prayed and hoped that it was the new clothes that changed him, and not the maturity – like May said – that grew inside him.

* * *

Muddy: Ew, hoennshipping! (gags)

Oh, you know you love it. Poor Brendan lol.

Muddy: x.X

Thank you for reading and reviewing guys! (smiles)

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	43. The Magma Mark

**Disclaimer**: She be no owner.

Breezy shall amaze you by writing ... WITHOUT A WORD PROCESSOR!

"But Breezy! It's too dangerous! You'll get killed with your spelling typos and grammar errors!"

Nonsense, foolish reader! I can do it!

Muddy: Yeah, and I can ... You know, it's too early for this. (walks out)

Yeah. I'm still on vacation in Hawaii, and while my sis is away, I decided to update. I wrote about eight pages of updation on this ficcy, but since she hates my fics, I can't save them on her word processor. Therefore, I have to type on this. Hehehe. Enjoy.

Ty for t3h reviews guys.

Oh yeah, from here until about two more chapters later, the fic will be getting even more darker (). So bear with it. Oh and we're not putting chapter numbers anymore because I effed up last time. Over here, we're on chapter 48, but I want to put 52 cuz that's how many chapters SPPf. Enjoy again.

* * *

**The Magma Mark**

**

* * *

**

"I ... I don't remember anything, B Boy. Flare against Skarmory? Use Skittles as an annoyer and sacrifice? What? Your lingo makes no sense to me!"

"It's common sense, May. Use type advantage. Use disruptive and startling moves to catch her off guard and plan ahead. It's like any other battle except, well, you would just scream loser if you lost twice."

"Oh, that makes me feel _so_ much better!" May glared at the new, gleaming badge that was clipped onto Brendan's backpack strap. "I don't know how you won."

The white-haired trainer grinned sheepisly at this and shoved his hands inside the pockets of his new black shorts. "You'll do fine, April," he said, looking up toward the sky, deep blue reflecting in ruby. "Just don't panic and stay cool."

"Uh, did you just call me April?"

"Yes I did. June didn't seem to fit you right."

"And may I ask why you're calling me April?"

"I told you! June doesn't fit you!"

"Okay, I get that June doesn't fit me! But why are you calling me April when that's not my name?"

"Listen, woman! It's because–"

Like a bolt of lightning, Brendan found himself lying on the hard, dirt ground, the back of his head throbbing like an Electrode ready to explode. Groaning, the boy rolled onto his back, dirtying his clean, snowy hair as he looked at the puffy white clouds that resembled a flock of Swablus. The pain quickly vanished and was soon replaced with fear when he turned his attention back to the girl, anger clearly evident in her eyes. Instead of retaliating back with a harsh remark, he grinned meekly at her and waved shyly as if this new, naive nature of his would soften the girl's heart.

It didn't work. It felt like Brendan's rib cage caved in when May stomped on him like a rabid Loudred, fresh from a Pecha Berry and other sugary sweets buffet.

"Don't you ever call me woman again!" she threatened through clenched teeth, eyebrows furrowed together. "It's ... it's not nice!" Like butter melting on the sidewalk in one-hundred degree weather, May's angry face was quickly replaced by a smile. "Okay! To the gym we go!"

Brendan chose to shut up at this – though he did mutter something about PMS and pregnancy – and got back up on his feet, feeling waves of dizziness whack him against the head since he got up too quickly. He held a hand to his head and stumbled next to May who was skipping merrily along the dirt road and then into the springy, fresh grass.

"Well, here we be," said May, gazing at herself in the shiny glass doors of the gym. She admired her new outfit by tugging down on her orange shirt and adjusting the green bandanna that lay on her tidy, brown hair.

Brendan, who failed to remember climbing up the ladder, crossing the bridge, passing the tree top homes and climbing back down the ladder toward the gym, was about to push open the doors when May grabbed a hold of his wrist and pushed it away. Confused, he looked at May and saw the fury of determination in her eyes. He understood.

"Good luck," was all he said as he turned around and walked toward the ladder once more. He figured that's what May wanted since last time his interruption caused her the battle. Supposedly anyway.

"Thank you," said May, pushing open the doors hersef and entering the dark world of the gym.

Brendan found himself at the end of the lake on the outskirts of Fortree. The water overlapped his shoes, and he felt his toes grow numb in his now mushy socks, but he didn't care; he had much more important things to think about. Of course mushy socks wouldn't help him think either.

Sitting down on the grassy ground, Brendan took off his shoes and threw his sopping socks behind him, hearing the cry of an unfortunate Zigzagoon who was smacked in the head with them. He dipped his feet in the cool water and leaned back on his hands, enjoying the serene atmosphere that surrounded the lake. The lake was still, slightly rippling from the soft breeze and when Brendan kicked his feet. The sun, partly hidden by clouds, smiled sheepishly upon him, kissing the dirt warm. The sweet scent of pine trees tickled Brendan's nostrils. He felt uneasy though despite the calm that hogged the air.

Enlarging three Pokéballs, Brendan threw them toward the lake, and threes bursts of white light flashed against the heavenly blue of the sky. The first to form into its true form was Muddy, quickly followed by Sapphire and Silver. Sapphire eagerly flipped in the water while Silver darted left and right speedily, his wings grazing the glassy surface of the water. Muddy, on the other hand, decided to relax by swimming on his back.

"Hi, guys," Brendan said, staring at them intensely, like an overprotective babysitter paranoid that they would disappear on the spot if he didn't. "How ya'll doing?"

Muddy raised an eyebrow and started to tread water instead. After a few seconds of silence, Muddy realized something ...

"Oh, Latios! He has a problem! Everybody run!" The Swampert, about to dive underwater, was stopped when the Lanturn got in his way and waved her beacon threateningly in front of his face. "Ooh, shiny." He poked at the beacon and laughed insanely soon after. "Look! Silver! It's like a light 'cept not really!"

Silver hovered above Muddy's head, darting back and forth slightly as he looked at him, confused. "That's right, Muddy," he said, deciding to play along. "A light! Good boy!"

"I am a good boy, I am!"

Sapphire, still mesmerizing Muddy, glanced at Brendan and smiled broadly. "Well, I'm doing fine," she answered, blinking her beacon twice to snap Muddy out of his trance. Blue eyes sparkling in delight, she dove underwater and jumped up quickly, sending up drops of water along her sleek body, almost spraying the Ninjask above.

Silver, though, thanks to his speed, dodged the incoming water and glared at Sapphire angrily. "Are you trying to kill me?" he screeched.

"With ... water?"

"Hey, we all live in a Pokémon world. It's possible."

Muddy's dazed eyes snapped back into reality as he said, "Cheese," like what you say after a camera flash ironically enough. His random comment brought everyone's attention toward him. He only shrugged. "He asked what I was doing. Obviously I'm doing cheese whatever that means."

"He was asking how are you doing, dear," corrected Sapphire.

"Oh. Well in that case I'm Bemired Muddy Swampert, and I just plain rock. Therefore, I'm good."

Silver rolled his eyes at this. "I hate 'em cocky Swamperts."

"Your mother."

"Oh, let's not go there. Your mother's so fat that when she jump for joy, she gets stuck."

"... What?"

"I ... I don't know."

Brendan interrupted the conversation between the three creatures. "I ... I've got a problem, guys."

"See! I told you!" Muddy shouted, glaring at Sapphire. "I could have been out of here if you didn't do that light thing and – it was pretty ..." Sapphire turned her beacon on at this moment and mesmerized Muddy for a few seconds before she turned it off. Again, he snapped out of his trance. "But yes, B Boy. Good job. The first step is admitting you've got a problem. The second is to get those nicotine patches. Okay, good night!"

"I don't smoke, and I'm serious!" Brendan kicked water at Muddy playfully. "It's not really a problem now that I think about it. It's more like a ... like a thought I suppose."

"Latios, that must hurt," said Muddy, wincing and shuddering at the thought of thinking, splashing water on his arms.

"Ooh, Brendan eez een looooove," said Silver in a fake, French accent as Sapphire giggled. "Who's the lucky girl, Brendan? May?"

"No!" Brendan snapped, flushing a light pink. "I'm not in love! Hell, I don't even like her that way! I'm just wondering. Can't a guy wonder? Can't a guy ask his Pokémon a serious question? I mean sheesh, come on! No need to work yourself up over this!" He let out a huge gasp of breath at the end of his rant, breathing heavily soon after. His left eye twitched and his upper lip began to curl up.

Muddy laughed at his trainer's face. "You sure you don't smoke, B Boy?"

Sapphire turned on her beacon, catching the Swampert's attention again. She smiled cheekily at Brendan, eyes twinkling merrily. "Well, I figure love is a feeling of ... Well, I guess you can't explain how it feels. Like words can't express it."

"Like how you feel when you're constipated," added Silver, smirking. "What about you, Muddy? What do you think?"

"I like shiny things," he replied, eyes glazed over. Shaking his head, his eyes snapping back into reality the third time, he said, "I hate all these Hoennshipping hints." He gagged soon after, annoyed by the fact that pine tree needles seemed to be flying at him because of the breeze. "I hate the breeze too," he added, glaring into the distance.

"What's Hoennshipping?"

"Oh you know, one of those random words." Muddy dove underwater and resurfaced, water trickling down his body as he rubbed his paws behind his fins to clean them. "Like onion. On and ion. Who thinks of messed up crap like that? Certainly not I. Except for Hoennshipping. But we wouldn't be having this conversation without it."

And then, suddenly, Muddy went underwater quite quickly after this sentence, but the others didn't think much of it, realizing that he was cleaning himself again.

"Anyway," said Brendan, looking thoughtful toward the pine trees that stayed sturdy as the wind grew harsher, "I'm just curious, that's all. Have any of you been in love before?"

Silver snorted, beating his wings even faster that it caused the calm lake to ripple. "You caught us when we were young. I doubt any of us have been in love."

Sapphire blew water up at him. "Not true. You can be young and be in love." She winked at Brendan at this. "Like you said, it's possible ..." she trailed off as a light, transparent red stream swirled to the surface, its trail getting darker and thicker – nothing else but blood.

"Muddy ..." was all that Brendan whispered.

"Muddy!" screamed Sapphire. diving under quickly, motherly instincts kicking in.

Meanwhile, underwater, Muddy darted left and right, trying to lose his attacker. He winced and took in a large gulp of water as his tail scraped the top of a sharp rock. His attacker tried to bite his tail off already, causing him to bleed. Quickly, he hid behind the rock that caused him hurt and watched his attacker swiftly swim past.

The perpetrator was long like a snake, in between the length of a Seviper and a Gyarados. Its eyes – all three of them – were an eerie shade of blue that glowed as they darted back and forth, searching for its prey. It slowed down, and then, suddenly, it turned around, rocketing toward the Swampert.

Cursing in his native tongue and then yelping soon after, Muddy hurriedly swam upward, and the attacker's hard head, which was as tough as diamonds, collided with the rock, cracking it in two. It was then Muddy realized that his attacker had bad eyesight but a keen sense of smell since it picked up Muddy's blood from behind. Perhaps Muddy could use this to his advantage ...

He was losing blood fast though, and he was finding it difficult to breathe in oxygen through the water – he hadn't worked underwater for quite some time. How badly he wished to close his eyes and fall asleep ... A flash of light cut through the darkness and blinded him though, and through squinted eyes, he saw the blurred profile of Sapphire come toward him, her beacon producing the warm, golden light. She swung the beacon left and right, but he knew she wasn't targeting him. She was targeting his attacker instead. Latios he was glad that shiny objects were popular.

The attacker paid no attention toward the Swampert but to the Lanturn instead. It hissed, letting out sound waves, but Sapphire quickly dove down, dodging them, before ramming herself into the perpetrator's body in a shower of sparks. The attacker hissed again and let out a jet of water that sent Sapphire sailing, but she quickly retaliated with a Thunderbolt that shocked everything in the lake except herself and Muddy, thanks to him being half ground type. The attacked screeched again, but this time it fled toward the east.

Sapphire quickly turned off her beacon and swam down toward Muddy who was slowly beginning to close his deep, orange eyes. "You have to stay awake, Muddy," she said, trying to push him toward the surface. "Just for a few more seconds."

"Why?" he asked in a dazed voice as Sapphire pushed him upward with her head. "I'm so sleepy, Sapphire ... Let me sleep."

"No, no, Muddy. Sleep isn't good right now." Sapphire looked around the Swampert and saw the sunlight filtering down through the water. "See the pretty light, Muddy? Stay awake for it for a few more seconds. Isn't it pretty? Don't you want to stay awake to look at its golden beams?"

"Yeah ... yeah I do. But it's so hard." Muddy's deep voice began to lighten and became more childish as if he were de-aging back to a young Mudkip. "It's very pwetty, Sapphire."

Sapphire herself was finding it difficult to swim since she was taking in lots of water mixed with Muddy's blood. She chose not to talk in order not to swallow more than she had to take in already. Luckily, she felt Muddy go heavy on her head and realized that they reached the surface. She swam back to the surface, knowing that he would float on his back like that and looked Brendan worriedly in the eye.

"He's hurt," she said. "He's losing lots of blood and he's not use to staying underwater for that long anymore since he's become amphibious. There was a Pokémon with three eyes. From the looks of it, it looked like he was trying to bite off his tail ..."

"Muddy, return," said Brendan, returning the Swampert to safety. "We need to get him to a Pokémon Center." And with that, Brendan returned the other two Pokémon out and ran toward Fortree.

**

* * *

**

"He'll be fine," said May reassuringly, patting Brendan on the back as he held his head in his hands. "I remember when Thunderbolt bled. It scared me too, but he healed. They're just like humans." May made sure not to mention who caused T.B. to bleed. "Trust me. He's in good hands."

"Meh," Brendan replied, raising his head out of his hands and staring at the operating room light which was currently turned on. "If it is just a wound, then why have they been in there for such a long time? You and I both know that it's much more than that."

May bit her lip at this. It was true. Muddy was being treated for a long time if it was just a minor cut. "Well, it'll still be okay. I promise."

"I guess. I forgot to ask how your battle with Winona went."

"Great! I got my Feather Badge!"

"Congratulations." Brendan nodded as the red light of the operating room turned off. Swiftly, he stood up and walked toward the operating room door where Nurse Joy greeted him.

"How is he?" he asked impatiently, almost rudely.

Nurse Joy knew how Brendan felt about his Pokémon and shrugged it off as worry. "He's doing fine," she answered for him in a calm voice. "He's in the resting room if you'd like to see him. I do have a few questions to ask you however." She took Brendan aside, away from May, and asked, "What exactly did happen? A regular Pokémon couldn't have left bite wounds that deep especially since a Swampert's tail is the toughest part of its body."

"I don't know," Brendan answered truthfully. "I know just as much as you do. My Pokémon told me that the Pokémon that she and Muddy fought had three eyes and was long, like a snake. I was thinking along the lines of a hybrid Milotic or something ..."

Nurse Joy only nodded. "I see. Well, go on. Your Pokémon is waiting."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy.

"Any time, Brendan."

Brendan grabbed May, who was waving at the baby Pokémon in the center, by the wrist and dragged her toward the resting room where Muddy, along with several other Pokémon, were being kept. He walked toward the last bed on the right next to the window and looked at his Swampert's sleeping form. His skin was a lighter shade of blue and his tail was wrapped in thick, white bandages, yet blood continued to seep through.

"Whatever that thing was," said May, "it sure was powerful. It couldn't have been wild. Could it?"

"What sane trainer would attack an innocent Pokémon without a warning?" snapped Brendan. "No one. But it couldn't have been wild. It's too strong for a wild Pokémon. Someone must have a thing against me. But who? I haven't battled anyone that has a Pokémon with three eyes and that's long like a snake. It doesn't match up. So someone I don't know has a grudge against me. But what Pokémon has three eyes?"

May looked out the window where the branches of an oak tree swiped at them, blocked by clear glass. "Maybe it wasn't a third eye. Maybe it was something glowing on its forehead. It's dark underwater, even with sunlight, so it had to use some type of Flash move in order to see. It's long; Milotics are long. It had to be a Milotic. Their home isn't too far away from where Muddy was attacked."

"I seriously doubt that a Milotic is going to hop out of its home, climb a ladder, cross a bridge, and jump into another lake in order to attack Muddy though. Besides, Milotics are usually evolved by eating a lot of blue Pokéblocks. You don't find a lot of those in the wild. It had to be someone's."

May shrugged and looked at the wound on Muddy's tail. She squinted and looked at it closely. "His wound looks like something familiar doesn't it, Brendan? I've seen it before. It looks like ... like a M. With things carved in it." Her eyes widened. "You don't think ..."

Brendan glared angrily toward the peaceful blue of the sky that clashed with his mood. "I do, May. Team Magma strikes again."

* * *

Not the longest of chapters. Oh well. I try. It's the best I can do for writing without a word processor anyway. Ty for reading!

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	44. Marks of a Mad Man

**Disclaimer**: Well ... no.

Anyway, enjoy. o.0 This chapter is utter crap, tee hee.

Muddy: Waiiiit a minute.

... What?

Muddy: What is this ... this ... uh ... (points down)

o.o Well, Muddy, I believe that's something that I shouldn't explain to-

Muddy: No! The story! -.-

Oh. You mean the new PTT a.k.a Pokémon Tongue Translated perhaps? O.o Well kiddies, there's a **_new_** explanation of why trainers can understand their Pokémon. For you see, people have been complaining at a forum I check out about Pokémon talking in fics and how it's not "canon" to the animé because the only Pokémon that trainers really understand are their own and Meowth right? Then they aim their little PTT hatred at me through e-mail. Witches! (Shakes fist) Um right. Anyway, like I said my HLBMA isn't based off the animé anyway, so I shouldn't have to worry about it being canon to it anyway.

They reply with: No, Breezy. No. It doesn't work like that. For example, in the beginning of your fic, if it were _properly_ done, Brendan and May wouldn't have been able to understand Muddy and Flare at least until a few chapters in.

And I say, "It's my fic!" and run off naked, screaming "Denizens of Dinosaur Land!" on the top of my lungs. But as soon as I'm done with that, I figure, "Oh, maybe I should figure out a new way to create PTT otherwise I'm gonna get my behind kicked by canon freaks that want Pokémon to be as realistic as it can be even though the show is dumb. Oh, AND NOT REAL. Lame-o's."

Anyway, here's the ish. Pokémon Tongue Translated is now held in the capability of the Pokémon's want for humans to understand them. Each Pokémon is capable of having humans understand them, but it's their choice. Hence why, like in the beginning, Brendan and May are able to understand Muddy and Flare. You'll see it being used a few times in this chapter, and maybe a few more after that just to remind you.

Shove that up your behind, canon freaks. That answer your question, Muddy?

Muddy: Actually, I was just curious about why you don't use the chapter number anymore but use the chapter title instead.

(Slaps Muddy upside the head) Go read the author note in the last chapter for that!

Muddy: Ow, okay okay!

(Rolls eyes) Enjoy!

* * *

**Marks of a Mad Man**

**

* * *

**

"Considering, you know, they hate water."

Brendan stayed silent at May's words, pondering over them. It was true. Maxie wouldn't be caught dead using a water type nor letting anyone else on his team use one. Then again, he did let him use Muddy who is part water and part ground. He supposed the ground element helped a bit, but still. And that ... thing that attacked Muddy. What creature has three eyes and sharp enough teeth to bite into Muddy's tough tail, let alone make bite marks shaped like the Magma emblem? It didn't make any sense.

A creak and a groan snapped Brendan from his thoughts. He looked down at the being in the bed. He felt a small smile tug at his lips, but it quickly vanished when he saw the pained look dart across Muddy's face.

"Hey, Mud Boy," he said sympathetically. "How are you doing?"

The Swampert winced as he grabbed a hold of his tail and squeezed it tight. "I loosed my stuffing!" he cried, childlike. He lightly ran his paw down what seemed to be the Magma mark and winced again. "It hurted."

Brendan swore he saw the pure innocence of Muddy's first form, Mudkip, re-enkindle itself in Muddy's eyes. Perhaps it was because Muddy was talking in a baby tone that made Brendan think of it – he didn't know. He wasn't sure if he cared how Muddy was acting now either.

"I know it does," he said, patting his arm. "It'll get better. I promise." He forced a grin on his face.

The Swampert grunted and rolled over, closing his eyes and falling asleep, snoring softly. Brendan rested his head on Muddy's side as May patted Brendan's back soothingly.

"He'll be fine," she repeated from earlier. "I know he will."

"They'll pay for what they did." May felt Brendan tense up and saw the hands that rested on Muddy's arm ball up into fists. "And they'll regret ever touching him. I swear."

Brendan stood back up, wiped at his ruby eyes annoyingly and dug his balled fists in his pockets. "How dare they stoop so low into branding _my_ Pokémon." White, hot anger consumed him whole, and he started to shake. "I ... I've got to think. Of how to get back at them. Of how to get Muddy's revenge. Of how to get _my_ revenge."

May was a bit worried, knowing how Brendan acted in times of crisis. "Calm down," she said. "What they did was terrible and a violation to both ours and their morality, but don't get yourself worked up like this. They're probably trying to make you lose your cool."

"You wouldn't understand," he muttered. "How would you feel if something that you truly _despise_ did something like this to you?"

She wouldn't understand? She went through the very same thing _way_ before he had. She fought something and got marked by something she despised – at least how he acted during that predicament – and he was standing right beside her.

"Uh huh," she murmured, flicking her hair behind her shoulder. She adjusted her fanny pack around her hips and blew up bangs that teased her forehead. "Well then, since I don't 'understand,' I'll leave you to drown in your own suffering." Trying to suppress the hate in her steps, May half walked, half stomped out of the room, her gloved hands stiff at her sides.

Brendan didn't try to stop her nor did he want to. He stared as she left the center. He couldn't help but have disdain for her now.

Turning his attention toward Muddy, Brendan tenderly felt the rough bandage and looked at it with despise. Why they hell would Maxie want to do such a thing?

The Magma Mark ... What did it mean? And how did he mark it?

Brendan pulled out his Pokénav and started to dial a number.

**

* * *

**

Angrily brushing back wet locks of hair, May stomped through slippery, wet grass and slushy mud puddles that went down to ankle level. It was cold, and May could feel the numbness bite firmly at her toes. She heard the water swish in her shoes. She could barely stand walking in the rain without proper protection, but she didn't care; she just wanted to get as far away from Brendan as she could.

May pushed aside a thicket of branches that tried to scratch at her and came to a rock wall slightly indented like it were constantly pounded on. She flicked out a Pokéball from her belt loop and threw it into the air. The ball spiraled, a blur of red and white in the light of the lightning, and in a blaze of light, a big butterfly came out, her vibrant wings glittering in the slanted, silver rain.

"Secret Power," muttered May, pointing at the indent in the wall.

The Beautifly hummed a little, her wings flapping rapidly against the harsh wind and rain. Her eyes glowed a deep blue, and the raindrops grew in size, splattering against the rock wall furiously. May threw her arms above her head to protect herself from the hard rain that fell like rocks. The rain seemed to melt away the wall, like acid eating away at metal, and the indented wall revealed an open passage into a room scented with wet earth.

May entered the room, returning Cherry to her Pokéball soon after. She had claimed this secret base as hers already, decorating it with shaggy rugs, tropical plants and posters with baby Pokémon on the walls.

Kicking off her shoes and pulling off her sopping socks, May sat down on a pink rug, hugged a Pokéball-shaped pillow and stared at the row of Pokédolls that sat upon wooden tables pushed up against the walls. The gloomy clouds above darkened the room, so May flicked out a Pokéball, maximized it by pressing the button, and threw it up a few feet away. The ball burst open in a blaze of light, and the form of Thunderbolt appeared, his yellow and blue coat shiny even in the poor light.

"Thunderbolt." The Manectric turned his head toward his trainer. May looked at the decorative lamps and nodded at them. "Do you think you could –"

She didn't have to finish her sentence, for the Manectric sent out a small jet of electricity toward each individual lamp. Slowly, but surely, each lamp basked the room in a golden glow.

"Thanks, T.B.," she said as Thunderbolt walked toward her. She stared into his fiery blue eyes and reached out, feeling underneath his chin. She ran her thumb over his right cheek and brushed back the fur, revealing a scar, a shade darker than the Manectric's yellow fur.

_I wouldn't understand,_ May thought as she hugged her Manectric and buried her head into his prickly soft fur. _But I do understand. I do._

**

* * *

**

"I can honestly say I've never heard of it being done. At least in that way."

"But it has been done before?"

"Well, yeah." The boy on Brendan's Pokénav shifted uncomfortably at his answer. He flicked up a loose bang that fell down from his spiky, jet-black hair, and scarlet eyes squinted from the sun as he walked along outside. This boy was no other than Chris Conifer, a spy that lurked among the ranks Team Magma, trying to slowly kill them from inside.

"What exactly does the Magma Mark mean, Chris? And how is it made?"

"From what I've heard from the older members, the Magma Mark is ... how do I say this? It's a symbol of your loyalty to Team Magma. It's a sign to Maxie that you belong to him, that you basically sold your soul in order to serve him and the team. Usually both trainer and Pokémon have the mark, but it's not required for both of them to have it. And the mark? Well, it's made the same way Muddy's was made. A bite mark. Usually several though. Not in one big chunk like how your Lanturn described it. Not unless they shoved something like a mold in the Pokémon's mouth or something."

Brendan squirmed on the metal stool next to Muddy's bed at the explanation. "But is it marked against your own free will?" he asked, his mouth dry like he ate a package of cotton balls.

"Sad to say but no. The member has the choice if he wants to be _that_ dedicated to the team. It's interesting how someone wants you to stay on the team that bad, Brendan."

"I'm still quitting no matter what."

"Problem is, Brendan, the police know what the Magma mark is too, and if they find out that Muddy has it, then you're going to find yourself behind bars, regardless of your status as a trainer or not."

"Isn't it just a cut? Won't it heal?"

"Cuts leaves scars don't they?" Chris looked up from his PokéNav and sighed. "Anyway, I've got to go. There's a Magma meeting coming up at Mount Pyre in a few days. Maybe you can figure out who did it to you somehow." With that, Chris ended the call.

Brendan ended the call as well, clipping the PokéNav back to his belt and looking toward Muddy's bed, surprised to see bright orange eyes blink back at him.

"Muddy, you're awake," he said, grinning. "Feeling better?"

"No, it feels like I got bitten in the ass," he replied coolly. He looked at his bandaged tail. "Oh yeah, I did. And how are you doing, Brendan?"

"Now I'm doing pretty–"

"Sheesh, I didn't ask for your life story." Eyes twinkling, Muddy flung the blankets off the bed and sat up. "Let's get out of this joint. It gives me bad looks, and I ran out of comebacks. Jerk."

"I don't know. Nurse Joy might want you to stay. We can't just get up and leave. Besides, you lost a lot of blood which you need to regain."

"Shoot, I have tons of blood. That's why I bled so much in the first place. And I feel fine, see?" To prove his point, Muddy jumped off his bed and started to jig a bit, clapping his paws above his head and spinning around slowly in circles. At that moment, Nurse Joy walked in, busily scribbling down notes on her clipboard before she looked up toward her patients, patients who should be resting instead of acting like buffoons.

"Oh dear!" she cried, dropping her clipboard to clatter loudly on the linoleum. "He's delirious! Quickly, Brendan, get him back into bed!"

"Nah, he's always like that," Brendan replied, grinning at Nurse Joy's statement. "Really, it's a good thing that he's like this. He's different. He has ... issues."

"If you're sure ..." she said, still looking a bit skeptical as she picked up her clipboard. "I ran a check-up on Muddy's state, and if you're sure that him dancing like that is normal, then you two are free to go whenever you please. All you have to do is sign these release forms."

"Good," Muddy piped in, stopping his dance and turning to face Brendan. "Like I said, these walls were nothing more than _swampersas_ to me."

Brendan didn't bother to ask what a "swampersas" was in native Swampert, but he wholeheartedly agreed with Muddy all the same.

Getting up from his metal stool and sloppily signing the papers Nurse Joy gave him with a flourished h at the end, Brendan pulled out Muddy's Pokéball from the back of his belt. Muddy held up his paws in front of him and shook his head.

"Not yet," he said. "I want to stay out for a bit. You look lonely and sad. It makes me cry. Sure, you can't see the tears, but I am crying, and that's all that matters. And yes I do know that wasn't a bit funny. But you aren't either. I'm just paying for the service I got."

Brendan rolled his eyes at Muddy's over exaggerated tone but felt all the same relieved that he wanted to keep him company as well. They left the resting room and entered the clean, brightly lit lobby filled with trainers chattering among themselves. Brendan, about to push open the glass doors to the center, was stopped by the loud squeak of a Blissey bounding toward them. She waved a bag of purplish-yellow berries and a roll white bandages at them and started to babble in native Blissey.

"Is that so?" Muddy questioned, nodding, rubbing his chin as if in perpetual thought. "I understand." He turned toward Brendan. "This Blissey says to treat me as if I were the king and to get me a ... a world domination device I believe is what she said, for Christmas." The Blissey screeched at this. "Oh, and she says she's full of hot air too," he added.

A sound similar to the crack of a whip rebounded in the lobby, turning heads. Muddy's right cheek turned a bright pink, shaped like Blissey's hand.

"Do I look like a newborn baby?" he shouted, gripping his right cheek with paws. "Did the hot air get to your brain?"

The Blissey held up her paw threateningly toward the Swampert who quickly darted behind Brendan, quivering.

"Shake a can of pennies at it!" he said, trembling.

Glaring at Muddy, Blissey dropped the bags of berries and rolls of bandages into Brendan's hand. "What I really said," she started, speaking clearly, "was to give these berries to Muddy to regain energy and blood. Though, I don't know why because it seems that he has _too_ much blood in his head."

"Better than hot air," he muttered.

"I heard that! Make sure to change his bandages everyday too. Also, don't overwork him in battle. Maybe you shouldn't even let him battle at all." She winked at Muddy mockingly.

"You just want to kill me don't you?"

"Slowly, from the inside out."

Brendan shoved the berries and bandages in his backpack. "Thanks, Blissey." He turned around and opened the door, letting Muddy out first – allowing him to hiss at the Blissey who hissed back. "Bye."

The glass doors swished behind them as the two treaded into town, stopping near the lake where Muddy was bitten. They stood still and quiet. It felt as if the peacefulness was mocking them, whispering that it was doing well with the breeze unlike them.

Brendan and Muddy walked over toward the bridge where they met Steven Stone again and swung their legs over the edge, leaving them to dangle above the clear, blue water. Muddy eyeballed the lake and spat at it with disdain, rippling his reflection. He wiped at his forehead, more as a nervous habit than to wipe of the beads of sweat that the hot sun helped produce. He turned his attention toward the pine trees that shifted in the wind in the distance. He rubbed his tail, his paw lightly touching where the mark was.

"It disgusts me," he said, his tone hard, letting go of his tail, his paws slapping the wooden bridge.

Brendan never witnessed his first Pokémon this serious. He stayed quiet though and let the Swampert rant on.

"Not because I basically got branded in a sense," he continued. "I can deal with that. I also don't really care about what the cut is shaped like either and the fact that I was violated physically, mentally, and morally. But what really pisses me off –" paws clenched into fists at this, "– is that I let them do it without much of a fight. I did absolutely nothing to stop it. I was helpless. I could have done something. I can't even help you figure out what it looked like because all I did was run away from it. What I did was a load of ... a load of –"

"Bull," Brendan said, replying to Muddy's rant rather than finishing his sentence. "It took you by surprise and bit you on the first move, didn't he? He hurt you pretty bad. You could have done nothing more than run in that state. You would have worked yourself up, lost more blood, and could have ... killed yourself if you fought back."

Muddy snorted. "Don't try to cheer me up, B Boy. You suck at it."

Brendan laughed as he dug into his backpack. Pulling out his old black and red bandanna, Brendan tied it around Muddy's wound. Muddy looked at his trainer, confused.

"And this lovely parting gift?"

"I'm just hiding it. Just in case."

Muddy jumped up onto his feet, flicking his tail around to look at the newly acquired bandanna and grinned. "I don't think the truth should be hidden," he said calmly before changing the subject. "I smell May. Let's go get her." He walked across the old, creaky bridge slowly, a clumsy being walking on eggshells. Brendan, confounded by the simplistic statement, ran after his Pokémon and walked by his side.

_We shouldn't hide the truth. What does that mean?_

**

* * *

**

"I wouldn't understand, huh?" muttered May, pacing the secret base, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyebrows furrowed together. "I so understand. I ... I so do."

A Blaziken rested comfortably on a dark blue rug shaped like a Water Stone and was propped up against several cushions so she could kick her long legs up on a wooden table, knocking down a few Pokédolls in the process. She watched May, amused, before replying.

"Well," she began, "Brendan doesn't like to think during highly stressful situations – if at all really. He knows what he did to you and T.B., but it slipped his mind. I wouldn't press it any further, May. If the roles were switched, I think you'd do the same, and at least you know who hurt Thunderbolt like that. Brendan has no idea and has to go through the agonizing question of who. And why."

"Still, Flare –"

The shadows of a boy and creature entered the secret base uninvited. May and Flare turned toward the entrance where Brendan and Muddy stood, dripping wet.

Silence gripped the room and held it tight.

"Why is it every time we have a 'dark moment,' I'm the one who ends up running to you and apologizing?" Brendan's question slipped free in a blur of words. He licked his lips, though they were already moist from the rain, and quietly entered the room, Muddy lingering behind. As if blind, he reached out behind him, his fingers grazing the side of a Pokéball-shaped chair. He patted it like a loyal dog before sitting down in it, his back straight, his fingers lightly tapping his knees. His white hair was soggy, the green and black bandanna soaked and loose, and his clothes, although new, looked worn down. He grinned, small, but still visible. His body posture and face were contrasts to each other.

The Swampert laid down in front of the boy's feet on the dirt ground but nevertheless grabbed a cushion from Flare's stack to rest his head on, smirking at her yelp and then angry growl.

May stared at Brendan's old bandanna wrapped around Muddy's wound. It threatened her more than calmed her down as Brendan intended the bandanna to be. The clash of red and black against Muddy's rubbery blue skin burned her retinas. It was a sign of something wrong rather than the concealment of it.

"I'm not the one who started it," she replied coolly, sitting opposite of Brendan in between two tables piled with Pokédolls after she returned Flare. "Nor do I want an apology that feels more like an obligation than a sincere act of maturity."

Brendan contained a snort. "But you want one which is just as worse than feeling obliged to apologizing. Anyway, I didn't come here to apologize –"

"What was the point of bringing it up then?"

"I came here to see if you're alright."

"I'm fine."

"It's raining, you know."

"You're one hell of a Sherlock Holmes."

"You could get sick."

"Okay, great."

"And you can't get sick because we're hitting to road again soon."

"I won't."

Brendan felt uncomfortable, his clothes that stuck to his skin were no help. He peeled the clothes that stuck to his belly off and fanned it a bit as if it would it dry. He released his shirt after a few more flaps and let it stick to his stomach once more.

"I'm out of here, May. I'll be in the center if you need me." Brendan returned Muddy back to his Pokéball, got up from his seat and was about to leave when May cried out:

"Don't leave."

Her desperate voice clung to him like his wet clothes. He gazed at the pouring rain outside that the grass hungrily drank up, and the flash of lighting that lit up the gray clouds. It seemed more to him that she wanted him to leave.

"Please," she added in a tone that brimmed with tears. "Please don't."

This was one of the reasons why Brendan didn't understand girls. One minute they're pissed at you and the next they need you so they can cry on your shoulder. He didn't argue with the request though and sat back down in the Pokéball-shaped chair, glancing at May before tearing his eyes away to stare at her shoes.

Silence wrapped its slithery long fingers against their throats again.

"I ..." May managed to choke out, silence losing its grip. "I ... What happened to us?"

Although not the question May wanted to get out, she seated herself on the edge of her chair like she excitedly awaited the answer.

"Er ... stuff," Brendan answered unsurely. "We both changed too quickly for both of us to understand, and I guess biting each other's head off is our way of getting use to it."

"I guess you're right." May slid back in her seat and leaned against the rock wall. She shivered, realizing how cold she was. She bent down where her fanny pack laid at her feet and opened it, searching for a blanket.

"Haha, you're going to get sick!" Brendan taunted in a sing song voice.

"Am not!" May pulled out a baby blue blanket and flapped it in the air to get rid of the wrinkles before wrapping it around herself. "I'm not the one dripping wet."

Brendan glanced his clothes and grinned sheepishly. "True. But I can fix that."

"How so?"

"... I do not know."

Well, he did. But he didn't think it'd be appropriate. At least if he did it all the way.

Brendan got up from his seat and took a few steps toward May. He grabbed a hold of the bottom of his shirt and slowly pulled it up above his head. He swung the sopping tee-shirt around his head a few times before throwing it at May's feet, like a stripper.

May rolled her eyes. "I'd consider working at a bar with moves like that."

"I'm only a Pokémon trainer by day," he said jokingly, winking, rubbing his hands up and down his arms to get rid of the goose bumps. He collapsed on the plush rug Flare previously rested on, pulled up a few cushions and rest his head and wet locks of hair on them. He looked at the time on his Pokénav (it read 7:30 P.M.) and yawned. "Wake me up in a few minutes."

May pulled the blanket tighter over her shoulders and nodded as Brendan closed his eyes. He was knocked out a few seconds later like he was blasted in the head by a strong dose of fatigue.

May watched him sleep, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed gently, the way his eyes rolled behind his eyelids as he dreamed, and the way he shifted soundlessly like a mouse. The peaceful aura Brendan produced almost lured May to sleep if not for the annoying beep from her PokéNav. She sleepily un-clipped it from her shorts and clicked yes to accept the new message. Eyes blurry, she managed to read a line that said, "Mt. Pyre meeting for ..." but her eyelids drooped and finally closed, and she too found herself in a deep sleep.

The next morning, May woke up next to Brendan, a bit too close that would have sent her on a rampage back in the old days. She didn't know how she got down there or how half of her blanket got to Brendan, but she still felt a warm feeling spread inside her, like she just drank hot chocolate. She sat up, a bit pink in the face, and turned to face Brendan, glad to notice that he put his shirt back on in the middle of the night to avoid an awkward morning. She also noticed that he slept on his hands as well, probably afraid of touching her during sleep and waking up to a slap.

Feeling in a giggly type of mood, May rose from the makeshift bed, pulled her shoes on and left the secret base to breathe in the fresh scent of wet grass and pine trees.

She then noticed the angry Mightyenas that surrounded her.

* * *

Okay, next chapter is the end to the dark chapters as of now before we return back to the same old funny chapters. Got it? Good! Ty for reviews!

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	45. The Fallen Friend

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Oh woe is me.

Gah, I'm sorry. HLBMA got deleted along with my other updates, but still that is no excuse for me to be lazy and not write again. ;-; I promise I will make it up to you, along with giving me 1,000 reviews (thanks ever so much guys times 1,000 to the infinite power!) If I don't, beat me over the head with a bat.

Enjoy. ;-;

* * *

**The Fallen Friend**

**

* * *

**

May froze in her spot, blue eyes wide, mouth partially opened, but she quickly regained control of her body, her hand darting behind her back for a ball. Sadly, she found none. While glad that Brendan thought she'd sleep more comfortably without her belt, it was times like these where she wished Brendan cared a little less. She could only watch as the Mightyenas advanced on her, uncomfortable and vulnerable.

"May," muttered a cold voice hidden amongst the trees. He then emerged, a demeanor of cool about him, hands pocketed deep within his denim jeans, loose, jet-black hair tossed about in the warm, morning wind. His plain white tee-shirt seemed barely capable of holding back his muscles, showing off his pecs. A blue bandanna was tied around his muscular, tan arms, bearing the Aqua crest. May knew this was an Aqua Admin despite his casual clothing compared to his the other admins. She gulped, mouth dry as if she ate the wool off a Mareep.

"Eh, hmm?" she managed to answer in reply, trying to salivate and moisten her tongue again. "That's what everyone calls me."

"You did not reply to my message last night. Did you not receive it?" he asked, whistling to call off the Mightyenas." Archie sent me here to check up on you and to see if you can make it to Mount Pyre today. We need all the help we can get. Team Magma may appear, and we need strong defenses to stop them."

"Message?" May repeated, scanning her memory of last night. She recalled receiving a text about Mount Pyre before she basically passed out in the chair, but the rest of the text was fuzzy. "Mount Pyre? What is held up there? What does Archie want up there that's so important? Surely there isn't something up there that could revive Kyogre or something."

"Quiet, you," said the admin harshly. "What Archie has planned up there is none of your concern along with why Maxie wants to stop us too. If you knew, the information could get into the wrong hands if you catch my drift. We just need some of our stronger members there in case Magma strikes, and seeing as your reputation as a trainer is growing ..." he trailed off, licking his lips. "We just need you there today by one o'clock sharp. Understand? You can come."

He asked as more as a demand than a question, but May nevertheless answered it. "Yeah, I'll be there. It may be difficult-" her eyes darted toward the secret base where Brendan was sleeping peacefully, "-but I'll be there."

The admin nodded, summoned the Mightyenas back to his side and withdrew back into the dark forest, as shady as the shadows the trees cast upon the ground. May felt cold and alone again, the breeze pricking up the hairs on her skin even though the wind was hot and dry. She had to think. How could she convince Brendan that only she had to go to Mount Pyre, the place where Pokémon's souls drifted among the wet dirt and crumbling tombstones? If Team Magma would appear, wouldn't that mean that Brendan would be coming there too? That admin did say that Team Magma _could_ come by ... It didn't mean that they would. She had to make up a story. Or leave without his knowledge.

Turning on her heels, May strode back into the secret base where Brendan still lay asleep. She looked around, spotted her bag on the floor propped up against the dirt wall, and picked it up, zipping it open and shuffling through her things in haste. She pulled out a small notepad, a pen, and a bundle of blue cloth, quickly scribbling a note on the pad, ripping it out and sticking it on Brendan's backpack. Hugging the blue bundle to her chest, May looked at Brendan who had a string of drool pooling down on his pillow. She smiled at how innocent he looked at that moment and pulled the blanket over his shoulders before hurrying away.

Hours later, at about twelve in the afternoon, Brendan finally woke up, startled, sweat dripping down the sides of his face. He had the craziest dream about empty shells and faces that he couldn't name. Picture upon picture of familiar faces kept flashing before his eyes, and he knew who they were, but their names wouldn't come out, their names lost from his mind when it reached the tip of his tongue. Wiping his brow, quite confused, Brendan sat up and looked around, ruby eyes searching for the girl. He found none but found her bright pink note stuck on his backpack instead. He stretched over and grabbed it, recognizing May's familiar, neat writing.

_Dear Brendan,_

_It's about nine in the morning now, but you're still not awake. I guess yesterday wiped you out, so I hope you feel better today. Look at me, acting all proper with you. Eh, anyway, I'm out training. I hear that there's a Pokémon Coordination competition coming up in Lilycove, and I want to give it a shot. Yeah, don't roll your eyes. Coordination is so not girly. It takes skill, strength, knowledge and grace combined to become a coordinator. Maybe that's why you hate it; it's because you know you could never be those things. Haha. Joking. Or am I? Let's meet later tonight hmm? I want to show you my new moves to see if you think if they're any good. Again, stop rolling your eyes._

_Love, May_

"What are the chances of that working out?" said Brendan to himself after rolling his eyes for the second time after reading the letter. Stretching, the boy hopped onto his feet, wiped the sides of his face with the back of his hand again and half-heartedly folded the blanket, throwing it lazily on the Pokéball-shaped chair. "I really do need some time to myself without May whining at me to go shopping or something. Yep, all I need is a day to-" He jumped at the loud beeping coming from his PokéNav, and he groaned, un-clipping it from his pants. He clicked yes to accept the new text and saw that the text came from Chris:

_Hey Brendan ..._

_Turns out that all Team Magma members in the Lilycove area are to immediately to report to Mount Pyre A.S.A.P. Hell, I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't want to miss out on it. Maybe we'll unravel a few more secrets about both teams._

– _Chris_

Again, he groaned, a bit saddened at the thought of his relaxing day coming to a screeching halt only after a few minutes, but then a strong sense of determination mixed with anger washed over him. This was his chance. This was his chance to nail Maxie on what he did to Muddy. This was his chance to get his revenge.

Grabbing his backpack, Brendan pulled out a set of black and red gear and started to change ...

**

* * *

**

The warm breeze from the morning became a cold, chilly wind in the afternoon. The rain from last night was returning again, yet the Team Aqua Grunts stood like stone statues in the nippy gust, lined up against the rock walls that protected line upon line of gray, crumbled-down tombstones, the words on the tombstones barely legible. The ocean crashed against the cliff, occasionally sprinkling the grunts in a light, salty spray.

Ignoring the wolf whistles and stares, May uncomfortably tugged down at the horizontally striped blue and white t-shirt, but alas, the shirt still was way above her navel. Her light blue sweats hugged her hips tightly, making her feel even more uncomfortable about her body, knowing that the horizontal stripes of her uniform probably made her look fatter. She cursed the creator of this uniform and demanded that they contact a fashion consultant before distributing them. Maybe someone less perverted too.

_At least the bandanna is cute, _she thought as she adjusted the bandanna on her head.

Her partner – Tommy she believed his name was – didn't seem to have any problems with her uniform however. From the corner of her eye, he saw a smile tug at his lips as his eyes slowly went from her eyes, to her lips, to her neck, down to her–

"Hey! Is this entire team made up of perverts?" she shouted, snapping Tommy's eyes back up to hers. She huffed, blowing up her brown bangs, crossing her arms, pouting.

"You know the guys here probably do find your pouting very cute."

"Hmph, how do you know that?"

"Well I think you do, and we're morons. Us morons think alike you know."

May detected sarcasm in that last sentence and rolled her eyes at it. "That's not funny. I don't think I like you. Not at all."

"That's a shame because I like you." Tommy laughed, silver eyes glistening in the sun, partially hidden by the gloomy storm clouds heading toward the mountains. He shoved his hands inside the pockets of his light blue pants, the horizontally striped blue and white t-shirt rippling in the wind. "You tell that Brendan Birch that he can kiss my ass because he has you. With love, Tommy."

"Well aren't you awfully blunt." May felt a blush coming on from Tommy's statement but quickly hid it with a sharp comment back. "You just made it worse. First you try to undress me with your eyes and then you just randomly blurt out that you love me."

"Ah, I said like, not love. Listen better." Tommy's eyes dulled as the clouds completely covered the sun and as two Team Aqua Admins hurriedly walked past the grunts that lined the sides of the rock walls. He flicked up the light brown bangs that teased his forehead with a finger. "Hey, May. You hear what I heard those two did yesterday? They did something bad ..." He said it in a taunting type of way, like a eager little kindergartner wanting to tattle on the class bully for shoving worms up someone's nose.

Although not that interested but still overall bored, May asked, "What? This better not be a waste of my time."

"It depends how you usually waste your time." Tommy looked around and stood closer to May so he could whisper. "Yesterday when the team was preparing the base, those two admins snuck off duty when they saw some trainer and his Swampert relaxing near this lake. So one of the admins released his Huntail and shoved a metal-mold of the Magma Mark that he stole into his mouth and decided to mark that trainer's Pokémon with it as a little prank. Oh when Archie found out, he was so pissed ... yet strangely satisfied. You could tell as he gave us that talk today."

May felt weak, a swarm of angry Beautiflys trying to break free from her stomach. Like earlier this morning, May had to moisten her tongue to speak. "You mean two admins implanted a fake Magma Mark into some random trainer's Pokémon for fun? For laughs? For no reason whatsoever?"

"From what I heard. I'm pretty sure that the two admins and Archie know who this kid is – they're just not telling us. Otherwise why would Archie be so insanely happy? And despite those two admins having some bad reputations for doing some rotten things, they wouldn't do such a thing for no apparent reason. I just wonder who the poor kid is ... If something like that happened to my Pokémon, I'd strangle those two idiots until they die, wait until they reincarnate and then kill them again." Glaring into the distance, Tommy shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. You get bored very easily on this mountains, so uh, guys have to entertain themselves somehow, and seeing as you are a girl and-"

"I ... I don't need to know what you do up here when you're bored Tommy, thank you. Apologize accepted though. I understand ... I guess. This boy though ... I know who he is. It's Brendan."

"No way! He-who-can-kiss-my-ass Brendan is the one that got marked? Man, he's got to be pissed. Isn't he on Team Magma? His reputation in Team Aqua has been getting stronger. Most of the rookies on the team are told to stay away from him. Heck, most of us were told not to be in a ten foot radius of him. I suppose it's because Archie or one of the admins want to dig their claws into him first. No wonder Archie was so pleased at the news. He could-"

May grew worried and interrupted him. "I rather not know what could happen to him, thanks. I don't need anything else to worry about; I'm already scared to the max. I already know that he's going to be one of the Magma Members coming up here. He's probably going to track down Maxie and ask him about it."

"That's not good. We both already know who marked it. Maxie could use that mark against Brendan and make him his little underling for the rest of his life."

Feeling queasy, May tried to change the topic. "Anyway, we better be on good terms. Who knows if Team Magma is going to come up here or not."

"Speaking of which, looks like the sunrise came early today."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's a metaphor. You know Team Magma wears all red? Well, they're coming over the hill so I said, 'Looks like the sunrise is coming early' because sunrises are red."

"They're more yellow and orange in my opinion. And besides, it's past the morning. The sunset coming early would have been a better metaphor seeing as it is past afternoon. That and I still don't know how Team Magma and sunrises have anything in common."

"... That's not the point. I meant Team Magma is coming. Just get ready to battle."

"Excuse me for not interpreting lame metaphors."

Snorting, Tommy pulled out a red and white sphere from his pocket and enlarged it, May doing the same, as the Team Magma members slowly but surely marched up the hill in two straight lines. There was no more time for joking around – it was time to fight.

**

* * *

**

"You know what, Chris? Walking in a mass group of people in red clothing walking over a hill oddly reminds me of a sunrise."

"Well, Brendan. I would think of us more as a sunset because it's past the afternoon, but hey! I thought the same too basically."

"Right on. Us morons do indeed think alike."

"Damn right." Chris laughed a bit, shouldering the Team Magma flag over his shoulder and looking at his Flareon, known as Ember, and Brendan's Mightyena a few feet ahead. He looked at Sirius's back left leg and smirked. "Hey, did you tie that red bandanna on Sirius's lower left leg just in case you send Muddy out so it won't look suspicious that he had a bandanna tied around his tail?"

"Yep. I'm hoping that I won't have to use Muddy in a battle. I'm pretty sure I won't since he is more vulnerable to water-type attacks with him being part-ground ... Yeah. I'm not concerned with fighting these puny Aqua Grunts anyway. I'm going to find Maxie and have him tell me that him and his idiotic admins were the ones that did that messed up thing to Muddy."

"Watch your tongue, naughty boy! We're idiotic admins."

"Well, not idiotic."

"Yes, you're right, but if we were, that would have been terribly embarrassing for-"

"Bubbles, Bubblebeam on the Flareon! Let's go!"

From above the rock wall, hundreds of bubbles going at a heart-racing speed flew down at the unaware Flareon, pushing her back into the rock wall. Chris clenched his teeth and looked up, spotting the perpetrator – a Vaporeon. The Vaporeon smirked and jumped off the cliff, softening her blow by blowing a jet of water to the ground and flipping back onto her feet. Ember shook her head, getting rid of the dirt that embedded itself in her fur and growled back, sending a mad rush of flying stars back at her – a Swift attack. The Vaporeon managed to dodge a few before being smacked upside the head, sending her back into the rock wall she previously stood proudly on. She quickly jumped back onto her feet, and the two started to circle each other, ready to fight.

"You could have at least waited until I finished my line!" shouted Chris at Tommy, pointing the tip of the Team Magma flag at his attacker.

Tommy shrugged. "It probably wasn't even funny. I just saved you from embarrassment."

"For your information, it was about embarrassment as well, so who's laughing now?" Chris, scowling, shoved the pole of the flag into the dirt ground and turned around back toward Brendan. "What are you waiting for, Brendan? Go! Go figure out who did this! Be warned though, don't let a lot of information about what happened to Muddy leak out. Maybe he wasn't the one who did it."

Brendan frowned right back and started to jog ahead, the other Magma Grunts dashing in front of him to start a battle with other Team Aqua grunts so that the Admins could get ahead. "But who else who could have done it, Chris? Who else? Come on, Sirius." The two started to sprint, leaving behind a worried, spiky-haired rebel Magma Admin.

Tommy, who glanced out of the corner of his eye to see May take on another Team Magma Grunt and Brendan run past her, turned his attention back toward Chris. "Bubbles, back it down for now." The Vaporeon, clearly angry that the Flareon decided to attack her back, growled before turning back toward her trainer's side.

Chris was confused. "What are you doing, Aqua? We have a battle to finish!"

Tommy ignored him. "Listen, Magma. You're Brendan Birch's partner in Team Magma aren't you?"

"Yes ... What's your point?"

Tommy pointed behind him at the girl who's shirt was way too short for comfort. "Well, May Maple recently became mine."

"Congratulations. I wish the girl's uniforms on our team were that short and snug-fitting."

"Yes, I am lucky – er, no, listen. That's not the point. Brendan must have told you of what happened to his Swampert correct?"

"He got marked with the Magma Mark without his consent. The boy is pissed. He ran ahead to find Maxie who is probably looking for Archie right now."

"Yes. You two both assume that it's Maxie and his admins that did it, so Brendan could do nothing but stay with Team Magma for the rest of his life, right? An evil little scheme plotted to keep one of your stronger members, right?"

"It seems likely."

"Well, you're wrong. I don't know much of the details, but I do know this. Two of our team admins yesterday ditched setting up the base to go to that one lake near Fortree. They saw Brendan and his Swampert lounging near the lake, so one Admin sent out his Huntail, shoved a Magma Mark mold into his mouth and ordered him to bite it into the Swampert's tail. I'm not sure why they would do that, but that Brendan Birch is going after the wrong guy. And as much as I hate you and your team, I'd rather not have Brendan Birch always there, trying to defeat us. You better tell him before it's too late." Tommy looked down and nodded at his Vaporeon. "I'm sorry, Bubbles. I know you're itching to fight. Well here's your chance." Again, he flicked the bangs on his forehead. "Bubbles, Bubblebeam again!"

"Ember, Smokescreen!" Chris quickly countered. Ember hopped in front of her trainer and opened her mouth, sending out black, billowing clouds that covered the passage, giving Chris a few moments to think. The boy quickly flipped out his PokéNav and hastily typed up a message to send to Brendan ...

**

* * *

**

"Where is he?" said Brendan to himself, running up the hill, Sirius at his heels. His leg muscles were beginning to ache because of the incline, and fog was beginning to settle being so high up. Rain started to fall to top things off. First it came in a light drizzle that he could barely feel on his skin. Then it became a steady pour, the water tinkling as it splashed into puddles. Finally, it transformed into angry, thrashing rain that whipped the sides of his face because of the harsh wind that creaked through the dead, barren trees. Lightning flashed across the cloud-covered sky with thunder roaring a few seconds later. The ocean below continued to crash into the cliff side, getting him more wet if possible.

He then noticed the figure up ahead when another bolt of lightning struck. It was a tall, lean, but still muscle-bound creature that kept getting bigger as he walked closer. Slowly, Brendan could make out his details. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and beard of the color black with thick eyebrows and sideburns. A bandanna – he couldn't make out what color it was yet – was tied around his forehead. His clothes were a dark shade of gray, the first few buttons on his short unbuttoned, revealing a silver chain he wore around his neck. His step held an air of sophistication. Brendan knew of two guys that walked in such a way; he found the wrong guy. That still didn't mean that he didn't hate him.

"Archie ..." he muttered, wiping back the wet locks of hair that glued themselves to his forehead.

Archie stood a few feet away from Brendan and smirked, eerie in the flash of the lightning. "I've been waiting for you, Brendan Birch. You have no idea for how long though."

Brendan scowled, Sirius growling near his heels. "What are you doing up here, Archie? What do you and your team have in mind? What's up there at the top of this hill? What are you trying to do?"

"Aren't you a repetitive, curious child?" replied Archie coolly, unfazed by the lashing rain. "You'll soon figure out why we're here." He glanced down at the angry hyena next to Brendan, and he laughed mockingly. "I see the bandanna tied around your Mightyena's leg. Does this mean something, or are you really into Team Magma pride?"

Something didn't feel right. Why would Archie care about his fashion statements for his Pokémon? Still, he probably meant nothing of it. "So what do I have to do to get information out of you? Beat it out of you? Because really, I'll be happy to obliged."

"Try me. Crobat, Mightyena, let's go!" From between his two fingers, Archie enlarged two Pokéballs and threw them onto the wet grass in front of them. In two blazes of white light that matched the flashes of lightning from above, a four-winged, purple bat emerged, flapping his wings against the beating rain, his yellow eyes gleaming with determination, his vicious fangs curved into an overconfident smile. Next to the Crobot was a Mightyena, his dark gray fur already wet, his bright red eyes a new sight in the gloomy, gray picture.

Brendan also enlarged a Pokéball and threw it toward the battle, the sphere's colors blurring together as it burst forth. From what came out was a rapid-flying cicada, his red eyes observing the battlefield speedily, his silver claws clicking together. He darted back and forth from left to right, hard for anyone to spot at second glance. "Let's do it, Silver! Swords Dance and then Slash on the Crobat! Sirius, Crunch on the Mightyena!"

The two immediately sprung into action. Silver hummed and crossed his claws together, closing his eyes as a red glow took over him. Meanwhile, Sirius sprinted over toward the other Mightyena and snapped at him. The other Mightyena tried to bite back at him, and the two began to wrestle like they were fighting over territory instead. Like the Vaporeon and Flareon from before, the two circled each other before tackling each other again. By then, Silver was done charging and flew over to the Crobot at a breakneck speed, slashing him across the body. Crobat screeched as Silver smirked confidently, but then it dawned at him that this was no cry of pain but a Supersonic instead. It was too late though, and Silver was caught in the loud noise, leaving him temporarily deaf. He tried to shake his head to get rid of the noise, but it was to no avail.

"My turn. Crobat, Mean Look on the Ninjask! Mightyena, stop dancing with his Mightyena and use Take Down!"

Crobat's eerie yellow eyes grew wide as he taunted Silver, and Silver fell for it, glaring back at the Crobat, refusing to quit the fight until one of them lost in the end. Meanwhile, Archie's Mightyena stopped circling around with Sirius and rammed into him instead, sending them both tumbling near the edge of the cliff behind Brendan where the ocean eagerly waited to swallow them up in its tumbling, furious, stormy blue waters. Sirius quickly got up, not giving the other Mightyena a chance to push him over the edge and ran back toward the battlefield, growling.

"Be careful, Sirius. I don't want you to fall off. You don't have wings like Silver," warned Brendan. Sirius nodded and growled at the other Mightyena as he came back toward the battlefield as well. "Let's take that Mightyena out. Sirius, use Hyper Beam. Silver, Screech now!"

Brendan's Mightyena took a stance, all four legs firmly on the ground, and opened his mouth, particles of golden energy forming within his mouth. Slowly but surely, the particles formed into a ball of golden light that finally released itself from Sirius's mouth into a straight beam that hit Archie's Mightyena took hard to the head. The Mightyena stumbled around for a bit before falling to his side, the blast blowing away his energy. Archie growled, muttering a stream of cuss words before returning his fallen creature, switching Pokéballs by his side. Meanwhile, Silver too had open his mouth to let out a visible sound wave that knocked the Crobat back a few feet, weakening his defenses and awareness.

"Come on out, Walrein! Revenge your fallen friend and use Aurora Beam at the Mightyena!" Archie threw a Pokéball toward the field. It spiraled rapidly before opening, releasing a heavy, blue-skinned walrus thickly coated in blubber. From below his huge, button-like nose and small black beads for eyes were two ebony tusks that were pretty intimidating. He seemed slow enough considering it could only waddle on land but still powerful nonetheless, in or out of the water. The Walrein roared, his head pointed toward the sky before he came back down, firing a beam of blue, pink, and purple from his mouth, hitting Sirius directly. Sirius skid backward across the wet grass, losing his footing, only stopping because he hit a boulder in the ground. He twitched a bit and then stopped moving, too fatigued to fight.

"You did great, Sirius! Return!" said Brendan, shooting the red beam of light from Sirius's Pokéball to return him. He minimized his Pokéball and looked at what remaining Pokémon he had left. Sapphire, even though electric and effective against the Crobat and Walrein, couldn't do much without mobility. Cy could use his mental powers to stop them both in their tracks, but he was sure that Crobat had some dark-type moves to stop him. Thermo maybe? The rain would change him into the raindrop, leaving Walrein's water and ice attacks with little effect, but he was still much too inexperienced to fight such a battle and much too weak, seeing as Sirius was knocked out by one blow. He only had one choice.

"Muddy, let's go!" shouted Brendan, heaving Muddy's Pokéball toward the field. In a blaze of light, Muddy materialized, already in a battle stance, orange eyes narrowed and angry at the sight of the Team Aqua leader. His heavy arms swung back and forth, showing off the fact that he could knock anything out with one swift and sharp blow to the head. As Brendan figured, Muddy would be a good candidate in facing both Crobat and Walrein. He had the build to take on Walrein physically if needed, could take the attacks and he wouldn't be heavily effected by both of their attacks despite being part ground type. Silver could easily deal with Crobat as long as the Crobat didn't use any –

"Ah again with the bandanna, Birch? No matter. Crobat, Air Cutter on the Ninjask!"

– flying attacks. Brendan groaned as the four-winged bat flapped his wings quickly, sending out small tornados that tore eagerly at Silver. Silver managed to get out and stay alive with the twists and turns of the miniature tornados but flew awkwardly, one of his wings bent at an odd angle. Brendan could tell that even though he wasn't tired, he was still hurt and could no longer battle without seriously damaging himself. He couldn't return him though, for Crobat's Mean Look was still in effect. He could only stay out of the way.

"Silver, fall back!" commanded Brendan. He then turned his attention toward Muddy as Silver flew behind a few feet to stay out of the battle. "Looks like you're going to have to take those two both down. Think you can do it? You didn't have much time to recover ..."

"Piece of cake," replied Muddy smugly. "I've been craving a good fight for ages anyway."

"That's the attitude, Muddy. Take Down now!"

Muddy pawed at the ground for a bit before running toward the Walrein at a speed some wouldn't believe a Swampert would be able to achieve because of his hefty body. He tackled the Walrein in the stomach, but the blow seemed to be absorbed because of his thick blubber. Muddy growled and pulled back out as the Walrein snorted, taunting him.

"That didn't seem to do much," remarked Brendan, eyes narrowed as Muddy walked back over to their side of the field. "There's got to be a way to defeat this thing. Our physical attacks will be hard thanks to that Walrein's blubber."

"You have no chance to defeat me with that scrawny Swampert," said Archie, laughing mockingly. "My Walrein is much too powerful and well-trained to be defeated by the likes of you. It's not like I'm doing much either – I'm just taking your pathetic blows. It's not like you were caught off guard this time."

Brendan hesitated, not knowing how to return that line when his PokéNav went off. Quickly, he un-clipped it from his pants and accepted the new message. Again it was from Chris, warning him that it was not Maxie who planned and planted the mark embedded into Muddy's tail but Archie and his admins instead. He looked up from his PokéNav, shock and rage written all over his face as he tightly clenched his PokéNav, hearing it crack underneath the pressure.

"You ... your team did it," said Brendan quietly, the anger building up in him, ready to explode. It felt like his face turned several shades of red. It then exploded into words that seemed to want to leave his mouth at the same time "That's why you keep commenting on the bandannas! It's because you know! Why would you do such an idiotic thing you arrogant, little – ugh! I ... I don't even know what to say to you! You don't deserve to live for doing such a goddamn awful thing! Why?"

Archie smirked, chortling again. "Yes. It was my admins that did it though, not I. Needless to say though, I wasn't disappointed with their actions. I, in fact, gave them the idea. It was intended for someone else however, not for you. But having the mark on you was a much better idea. I'm sad to say that I wasn't the one to think of you."

"I don't care why you didn't do it to some other helpless trainer! You tell me why you did it!"

The rain, if possible, continued to lash out, matching Brendan's mood perfectly, and the sky continued to grow darker as twilight continued to approach from above the storm clouds. They were in the time where the sun was just getting ready to set, but the moon wasn't really above head either – they were caught in between a period of darkness. Lightning was more frequent, and the thunder continued to cry from the heavens. The wind blew harder that it was almost impossible to stand up being so high up on the cliff. Both trainers were soaked to the bone, but both of them didn't seem to notice anyway. Despite the thrashing rain, loud, bellowing thunder, and harsh beat of the wind, Brendan could hear Archie perfectly.

"For you, it's a different story. I _despise_ you, Brendan Birch. I truly do despise you. You held back one of my top members, giving her second thoughts of why she joined my team. You're a traitor to your own team, despite that team being Team Magma, the organization that I hate with all my heart. You're an arrogant, overconfident excuse for a trainer that was fortunate enough not to be smacked upside the head with the reality of being a Pokémon trainer.

"So I decided to give you that slap myself. I got two of my admins to skip setting up our base to find you. Luckily enough, they found you near that lake near Fortree, lounging with that special little Swampert of yours. I wanted you to suffer. That was my intent behind marking you. To suffer. To have you in the clutches of Maxie forever. However, I did wish to taunt you with the fact of who would do such a thing to your Pokémon. But telling you what I feel about you ... Oh that truly is more rewarding. And what I'm about to do to you next will just be a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae." Archie pointed at his Walrein. "Walrein, Sheer Cold on the boy! Let him feel the true cold!"

Walrein, who shared the same smirk his trainer did, prepared a blue ball of light and ice in his mouth, his body glowing an eerie shade of light-blue. Then, the ball turned into a beam, heading straight toward him. Brendan wanted to move at the sight of this, but his legs didn't want to apparently, too paralyzed with fear. Horror written all over his face, Brendan prepared himself for the blow only to find himself eating a mouthful of wet dirt. Muddy had pushed him at of the way to protect him from the one-hit attack. Relieved but still worried, Brendan turned around to see what was happening, hoping that the beam of cold ice passed instead of hitting Muddy. It was odd though ... Muddy was still standing, but the beam was gone ... like it hit something.

"Silver!" Muddy shouted – screamed really. Like a lightning bolt, fear struck Brendan's heart at the way Muddy's voice sounded. He quickly hopped onto his feet, and the feeling of relief vanished into thin air. Everything seemed to go in slow motion.

Silver had taken the blow to save Muddy and himself. He faltered for a bit, for both of his wings were frozen, and he seemed to float after taking the blow. Brendan's and his eyes met for an instance – red eyes into red – before Silver's closed as he fell. No ground would be there to stop him though. The ocean finally got what it wanted.

An intense silence overtook the battlefield. Even Archie seemed to be in awe of what happened.

"Sir, we got the orb!" said Sean, one of Team Aqua's admins to Archie. Archie nodded, looked at Brendan, and turned around.

"We all need to face reality," he muttered, returning his two Pokémon before heading off with his admin down the path toward the top of the mountain.

Brendan was in a daze as he walked over toward Muddy's side, not realizing that the Team Aqua Leader had left and taken what they have come for. It was like he was dreaming again, and then he'd wake up, sweat dripping down the sides of his face. He would then tell Muddy his dream, and they would both laugh at it because it was so unreal and not true.

"He can fly ..." he said, dropping to his knees, looking down at the ocean that crashed into the cliff constantly. "He can fly ... I told Sirius that. He has wings. He can fly. He'll come back up with that idiotic smile on his face to surprise us because he's joking. He's still alive, Muddy. He's still alive. He'll come back ..." Brendan felt the tears swimming in his eyes, mixing in with the hard drops of rain. "Latios, he'll come back. He's not dead. I won't believe it. He can fly ... This isn't funny anymore, Silver! The joke's over! Come back here!"

Muddy said nothing, the image of Silver's death repeating in his mind. There he was, pushing Brendan out of the way and preparing a Protect shield so he himself wouldn't get hurt, but the little idiot of a cicada got in his way and took the blow for him, being thwacked past him from the Walrein's attack, wings frozen together, eyes big and wide, claws thrashing about. He smiled at Muddy before he gazed at Brendan, reassuring him that this was meant to happen; it was okay that he didn't have play the hero for once; things would be okay. And then he fell. He knew he wasn't coming back. He stood no chance against the raging currents of the ocean with frozen wings, one of them bent at an awkward angle. He, however, didn't want to kill the faux truth Brendan kept uttering to himself.

The picture kept repeating though. Over, and over, and over ...

From the corner of his eye, Muddy saw Brendan digging through his backpack, whipping out a pocket knife. In horror that Brendan was going to do something he would regret later, Muddy was about to make a swipe for the knife when Brendan turned around and began to carve out letters in the boulder behind him.

"Silver ..." he said out loud, tears blurring his vision as he read out loud what he was carving into the massive, gray rock. "He ... can ... fly ... That ... is ... my ... reality."

The words were eerie, and it felt like the words were carved into Muddy's own heart instead. He watched as Brendan shoved the knife back into his bag and turned again toward the open sea, still on his knees as he pointed his head toward the gloomy sky above, tears streaming down his face. He hadn't notice that night had already begun to settle in, or the fact that the rain had ceased and that the moon was shining down on them through the clouds, revealing the nighttime sky scattered with twinkling stars.

His heart plummeted and he felt a huge rock in his throat, but he held back his tears. He had to remember what Silver's smile meant. Things were going to be okay in the end. This was meant to be . This had to happen. If he hadn't have done what he did, Muddy would have taken the blow instead. He would have been the one pushed off the cliff, hands and feet locked together because of the frost, losing the ability to swim back to shore. Brendan would be in a worse state, but in this scenario he had no one to help him through it. May could possibly, but the connection between the first Pokémon and his trainer was different from human companionship.

"Hi," he heard him say. "Who are you?"

Muddy quickly turned his head toward Brendan and saw him on his hands and knees, crawling toward the rock he engraved his words on and sat on his knees again. He was confused – was he talking to the rock? He then heard the soft murmur from behind the rock, and he stepped back a bit to see what it was. It was a baby Vulpix, extremely thin and frail-looking, nervousness in her eyes. She whimpered, backing down a bit but not running away.

"My name is Brendan Birch," Brendan said quietly, head bowed down. "I'm fourteen years old, but I've never felt so old. For you see, I was battling this evil person named Archie, leader of Team Aqua and ... and he was the one that marked my Swampert over here with this thing called the Magma Mark. Now I know he hates me, and he tried to kill me, but my Ninjask took the hit instead after my Swampert pushed me out of the way. He was already hurt and couldn't fly all that well. But he can still fly, you know? He hasn't come back yet. He will though. He will. I know it ..." His hands balled into fists as they rested on his thighs. "Latios, why the hell did I just take the crap he was giving me? Why didn't I fight back that ass? I could have done something instead of just watch! It's my fault he's not here ... But why would he do such a thing for me?"

Muddy decided to talk at this time as he walked next to Brendan and sat down next to him. Immediately, aware of Pokémon companionship, the scared little Vulpix ran toward Muddy and jumped into his arms, cuddling against his body, surprising him. "Because," he said, cradling the baby Vulpix in his arms, "because it'll be a cold day in hell if you fall before we do. What he did ... What he did was for you, Brendan. If there was another way, we would have done it but there wasn't."

"Why did he sacrifice himself for _you_?"

Muddy was offended and hurt by these words. The Vulpix felt his pain and licked his face, trying to cheer him up. "If I could do it again and known the results and how you felt, then I honestly would have pushed myself in front of Silver and taken the blow myself. But I didn't. So live with it," he snapped. He couldn't help what he said. He was angry at what he said, especially after all they've been through.

"I ... I didn't mean it like that, Muddy."

"That doesn't matter. You're saying what's on your mind."

"I'm glad you're still here, Muddy. Just ... why him instead of you?"

"Again, you're repeating it like you want me dead."

"You know what I mean."

"No, no I don't. Because honestly, with your head so loopy and dazed and in the 'oh, woe is me' mode, you still would have the ability to control what you're saying, especially when I pointed it out to you. He sacrificed himself for me and you because it was the only way for the rest of us to be saved. Really, I can't see you having this type of conversation with May, Sirius, Cy, or any of the other Pokémon besides me. We connect; he knows that, and that's why he did it. You don't have a sturdy backboard like I am for you. That's why he died. He died for you so you wouldn't go crazy or maybe something far worse."

"I ... I don't need this right now."

"Neither do I, Brendan. Stop denying the truth. It's really lame when you do, and I'm sick and tired of having you learn these lessons the hard way. You're Brendan Birch, a Pokémon trainer and rebel Team Magma Admin with no sense of reality – one who keeps thinking that the Pokémon world is all fun and games. It's not. I've learned that. And I've had to adapt to it for everyone else because you don't, and I still have to act the same old stupid way so you won't be aware of it and still be your old, jolly good self, hopping away in a field of white flowers-"

"Shut up!" shouted Brendan, covering his ears, making the Vulpix whimper and snuggle herself into Muddy even more. "I order you to shut the hell up!"

Like Brendan could really tell him to shut up in the first place. He could easily overcome him anytime, anywhere. He understood though and let Brendan think of what he said. He was glad that he finally got that off his chest – he had been hiding it for so long. He looked down at the Vulpix who looked back up at him, her brown eyes wide and bright like the moon above. They were startling, like sparkling diamonds. She wrinkled her cute, little nose, glancing at Brendan worriedly as well.

"I'm sorry," Brendan said finally. "I know I should have realized those things earlier ... I have really. I just never done anything about it."

Muddy patted Brendan on the back a few times. "It's fine, B Boy. At least you have, even if it is a bit late."

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, staring at Silver's makeshift tombstone. Crickets chirped and the wind hushed down into a cold breeze, whispering soft nothings into their ears. The clouds had finally departed, revealing the beautiful but mysterious nighttime canvas, and the rain made everything seem fresh-smelling and new.

"Cinders," Muddy said.

Brendan turned his head toward the Swampert and grinned a bit. "Is that what you want to name her?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She's frail and a bit scrawny for her age. I don't think she has a family. I think she'd like being with us. She's a cinder. They aren't exactly part of the fire, but they aren't ashes either. They're still on fire really. It kind of sounds like a second chance. Like we're giving her a second chance. To be apart of a fire again."

"It has nothing to do with the fact that she's a fire type?"

"Well, I wouldn't give it to a grass type in the same situation as she is if that's what you mean." Muddy grinned back and deposited the Vulpix in Brendan's arms. "It's pretty cold because the rain stopped and you're much more warmer than me. We should head back to the center. I'm sure both teams are gone since ... well ... yeah. We should get her checked up too."

Brendan nodded and got back on his feet, Muddy following suit.

"Things will be okay," Muddy said in reassurance again as they walked down the hill.

"I hope so," said Brendan, cradling the baby Vulpix in his arms. She gave a big yawn, making the boy smile. "He can fly though. He still flies."

"I know, Brendan. I know."

The Vulpix howled toward the moon above, frail and weak but still effective. It scared Muddy. To Brendan, it was nothing more than a mere cry of hunger and loneliness, but Muddy heard the cry's true intention. It was the cry of despair, the cry of lost hope, the cry of the death of a friend. But more importantly, it was the cry of dead innocence.

With a small flicker of hope, Muddy looked into Brendan's eyes from the corner of his own, hoping to see the same Brendan he saw earlier this morning. He saw none though. These eyes were colder, more hard, more experience in life. Two dead eyes embedded in a living body. Muddy felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Would this mean he would have to change again too? Didn't he want Brendan to change?

The Pokémon Center produced a warm, golden glow from far away, but it brought Muddy no comfort. His friends would be released inside, wondering where Silver went. He was the one that had to tell them what happened. Their friend had fallen.

And he was never coming back.

* * *

I had this entire little cool thing where I thanked all you guys for the 1,000 reviews. However, since that got deleted along with my chapter ... (cries) I promise I'll have it ready by the next chapter. Hopefully the next one won't take years though. ;.;

Muddy: Whenever you say that, it actually happens. Have you noticed that?

I'm surprised you did.

Muddy: As am I, Bree ... as am I.

LaTeR dAyZ! I'll try to include a side track chapter with the main chapter next time. If not, it'll come soon. (Sweat-drop)

**Last Revision: 1/11/09**


	46. Brendan vs May: The Pokemon Contest?

Flames are lovely. I love flames.

And no, I'm not Breezy from Netbattle, Sakura. :P

**Disclaimer**: Pokémon not mine.

Muddy: (bangs a broom handle on the ceiling) SHADDUP!

**Disclaimer**: (stomps the floor) You shaddup!

Muddy: ... ;o;

**Disclaimer**: That's right, fool, that's right.

Flare: Muddy, you're getting into a fight with an inanimate object. It's not even an object. It's a sentence.

Disclaimer: Inanimate huh? (smacks Flare across the head)

Flare: Ow! Son of a bi-

Now now. Well here it is! Enjoy. By the way, uh, I have no clue if any of the appeals are possible. But uh, pretend they do. And like it.

* * *

**Brendan vs May: The Pokémon Contest?**

**

* * *

**

He stood there, dripping wet, eyes wide and fearful, a bundle cradled in his arms gently. He was hunched over, head lowered down as if he were guarding the bundle, maybe even withdrawing into it. He breathed heavily. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

"I-I found him," Brendan said, quivering. "I ... I went in th-the water and I f-found him."

With loud grumbles, sleepy murmurs, and the shifting of tossing and turning on the creaky, spring-filled beds, May managed to grope for the light switch to turn it on. Rubbing her tired blue eyes, she muttered, "It's midnight."

"I know. I couldn't sleep. Not with him still there."

"You should have left him ... " remarked Muddy, tired but still alert to what Brendan did. "You should have let him be, lay him to rest there. You can't – you won't bring him back that way." He gripped the side of the bedpost as he looked up at Brendan like the handful of wood gave him courage. "It's not right at all."

"After what he did for you, you would want to leave him?" replied Brendan icily, glaring at Muddy who slowly put his head back down.

"Oh and what are you going to do with Silver? Put him in the refrigerator until morning?"

"It's respect. I want to give him a proper funeral."

"Personally I think it's quite the opposite of respect."

Brendan said nothing and sat down on the bed, staring at the wrapped up white bundle that was Silver. He clenched it tightly, and an uncomfortable, nauseating crack sounded. The room laid in silence, everyone still as if the slightest shift would cause an imbalance. Finally, the boy trainer got up, muttered something about putting the bundle in the center and left the room. Muddy wasn't sure who turned off the light after that. He knew that the next few minutes that ticked by felt like hours until a dazed, restless sleep overcame him. Two hours later though, a pathetic, almost mourning cry echoed in the room. No one paid attention to it though since it was so common. Her cries were loud, but they weren't out of sadness nor despair. Everyone didn't know why she cried. He knew though.

Frowning, Muddy scooped up the wailing Vulpix in his arms, and her cries ceased. She cuddled against his hard chest and sighed softly, brown eyes shiny and wide.

"What am I to do with you?" he muttered, leaning against the plaster wall of the room they rented in the Pokémon Center. He looked outside the open windows where silver moonlight delicately stepped into the room. His bright, orange eyes slowly formed into hardened rock. Silver's death had definitely taken its toll on the Swampert, but he had no change to weep and mourn with the others. Tears would only scare the baby Vulpix in his arms and shock the others. Leaders weren't meant to break down and fall. He had to be strong for them since Brendan was not. Why should it be him though? He wasn't meant to be the responsible one.

"Not only have you changed, but so will he. Right?" a quiet voice said near him.

Muddy turned his head and saw Flare's figure sitting up against the bunk bed frame, the tip of one claw lit in a small, orange flame, illuminating her face in an eerie sort of glow.

Muddy laughed slightly to lighten the mood. "You noticed too?"

"As does Cinders correct? That's why she cries. She's scared for him. She's scared of him. She knows what's happened to Brendan, and you know as well as I do."

"I-I'm not saying anything," Muddy replied coolly. "However, I assume-"

"You know."

"I assume-"

"Oh you know, Muddy. You know things are going to change."

"Of course I do, but what the hell am I going to do when it does happen? Everyone is dependent on me. Everyone relies on me like Cinder does, even if they don't show it. I've known that's who I had to be, even if I myself didn't act like it or show it or take up on it. But now I have to especially since Brendan is disconnected like this. You saw what he did, Flare. Disrespecting the dead like that. Silver's death has been a hard blow on him, I know. But what happens when he loses his cool for good? That evil lot is just going to keep prodding and poking at him. I'm only so strong."

"You're stronger than most," Flare whispered, extinguishing the flame on her claw, basking herself in darkness. "You've got me too, and May will help him. She will."

"Won't it be too late to bring him back by then though?" The Vulpix squirmed uncomfortably at these words. "He doesn't know what he's going to do."

"But you do."

"You know I can't stop it. Or tell him better yet. That could trigger the idea."

"You can't prevent it, but you can plan how to bring him back when the time comes. You're good at making up plans. Now get some sleep."

Muddy didn't respond but could tell by the way Flare's breath changed from rapid to slow and steady made him know that she fell asleep. Again he looked down and saw the Vulpix squirm in his arms. Releasing her from his grip, Cinders sprinted for the half-cracked open door into the dark hallway. Alarmed, Muddy quickly jumped to his feet, stepped over the sleeping Sirius on the floor and bolted for the door, following the quick Cinders. He found her jumping on the entrance mat to activate the automatic door before dashing out into the cold night.

"Cinders!" he shouted, his voice rebounding inside the empty lobby, cringing soon after. He ran after her, furious with himself that he let her go, Lilycove's streetlights lighting his path. Soon he found himself running ankle deep in tall grass.

"Muddy," said Cinders in her small voice, frail and delicate like a soft breeze.

He spotted her sitting near the cliff, staring at the ocean, a dark-blue that glittered silver under the pale moonlight. Slowly he walked over toward her and plopped down in the wet grass, kicking his legs over the side.

"So why are you here, Cinders?" he asked simply, leaning back on his paws.

Cinders looked down at the ground, a shy, fluffy ball of brownish-red. "I just wanted to see if you would come after me."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"No one has cared for me this much before. My momma died, and I don't know where my daddy is. I never met him. I want to though. One day."

Muddy laughed. "You know, I never got to know my parents either. I was bred to become a trainer's Pokémon. First face I saw was Brendan's actually."

"So is he your daddy?"

"Thankfully no."

"Ooh! I'll find your daddy, Muddy! And then I'll find mine! And we'll both be happy!"

He didn't want to tell her that the likelihood of finding their fathers was basically impossible. She had already been through too much to have him take away that tiny flicker of a dream.

"Is the ocean silver because Silver died in it?" she asked innocently, eyes bright.

Muddy felt his throat tightened as he held back the tears he was fighting. "I ... I ... no."

Cinders walked over toward Muddy, cuddled against his arm and sighed cutely. "It's okay to cry," she said. "The truth shouldn't be hidden."

"No one wants to see their leader breakdown."

"It'll show that you're alive at least."

"You're too young to understand. I have to be strong. It's who I am. It's who I have to be."

She giggled. "You're so silly, Muddy. No, that's why others want you to be, and what they tell you to be. Besides not crying about a loss is like being dead yourself. An empty shell."

Despite being so young, Muddy could see an ancient wisdom in her shiny, brown eyes, a wisdom she used but didn't understand herself. She was blunt and truthful because she didn't know any better.

An awkward silence overwhelmed the cool air until the Vulpix spoke out. "You know what I overheard from two Duskulls one day? When a Nincada evolves, it creates two bodies. Its soul enters one, but when that dies, the soul enters its extra body. It's like they have two lives. Two chances." She smiled, hopped into Muddy's arms and sighed cutely again. "I think that would be nice ..." Cinders yawned, curled up into a ball and her shiny brown eyes slowly shut, welcoming sleep.

Muddy slowly got up to not awake the sleeping fire fox and walked back into the center, the doors swishing open. The floorboards creaked underneath his feet as he entered the room. He placed Cinders gently next to the sleeping Skittles on the bed, tucked her in and turned his head toward Brendan's backpack that was propped up against the wall. He went over toward it and opened it, digging around inside the bag. His hand touched something cold, and he pulled it out, grasping a metallic red and white sphere, more specifically Silver's Pokéball. Finding it heavier than an empty Pokéball should be, Muddy pressed his ear against it.

Something was breathing heavily inside.

* * *

"What do you mean he's not dead?" asked Flare curiously the next morning, punching the air upward to release a fireball from her fist. She then sky uppercut it, and the ball burst into tiny, flickering flames that danced gracefully toward the ground. "You think if I hit it in the right angle, the flames will fall to form something?"

"What? I don't know, Flare. I could really care less about the contest. And you know May would enter you in the battling portion anyway."

"I still need a sort of ... flair – no pun intended – when I fight. Besides, this contest starts in a few hours. I hope Cherry and Skittles are ready. They're the ones actually showing off their pretty moves and their pretty fur and colors and yada yada like that."

"I still think you're all crazy for entering after training for a day."

"No, we've been training plenty without you lot knowing about it. This is just our first competition."

"Nervous?"

"Eh, it can't be any different or worse than a gym battle. But sorry, back on topic, what do you mean Silver isn't dead?"

Muddy rolled a twig between his paws as he leaned against an ancient oak, sighing. "Cinders ... she told me that when a Nincada evolves, it creates two bodies, and when one body dies, it can transfer its soul into the other. There was something in Silver's Pokéball, Flare. Something alive. Something breathing."

"Well those two usually go hand in hand."

"Haha."

Flare smiled cheekily. She paused from her training before starting again, uttering one word. "Shedinja."

"Is that some freakish move you're going to use?"

"No, you moron. Shedinja is the other body Nincada creates when it evolves. It's like ... How do I say this?" You know when Cherry was a Wurmple and then evolved into a Silicoon before becoming a Beautifly? It's the same concept for Nincada except of having a three-step evolution, they have two. Its cocoon is still able to battle if that makes sense."

"It didn't."

"Pretend it did."

"Will do. So Silver didn't really die. He just lost one of his bodies?"

"Well technically you're right. That doesn't mean that he will be the same Silver that we all know and love. He still witnessed death and that could have entirely changed his concept of the world, for the better or for the worse. But I'll suppose we'll have to wait and see."

"But Brendan doesn't know about Shedinja obviously. He would have not been so loopy if he did."

"Then I guess it's up to you to tell him."

"Muddy! Flare!" shouted May, appearing behind them, the ocean breeze teasing her bangs. "Come on! We're going to be late to the competition!"

"Aw fudge," said Muddy, groaning, walked toward Lilycove with Flare besides him and May in front. He kicked the pebbles in front of him, scowling, arms crossed. "I don't want to go to some prissy, sissy beauty pageant where Pokémon make fools of themselves."

"You're such a guy, Muddy. Pokémon Coordination requires strength, skill, knowledge, and grace, qualities that I dare say you lack. You could never be a coordinator Pokémon."

"You just killed my hopes and dreams, Flare."

The three stopped in front of a strip of land that lead toward the water that surrounded the tiny island where Mount Pyre rested. The ocean was calm, unlike yesterday where they churned angrily against the shore and rocky cliff side. There they watched Brendan surf back toward the coastline, clinging onto Sapphire's back, eyes cast down. The two left peaceful ripples in the water that delicately reached the shore and reflected back at the lightest touch. Wingulls squawked and flew out of the way on the mossy rocks they rested upon as the boy and his Pokémon passed.

"Hey, Muddy?" whispered Flare so may wouldn't hear. "How come you didn't take Brendan to Mount Pyre to bury Silver?"

"Brendan and I aren't on speaking terms right now," answered Muddy coolly, looking away from Brendan. "And I already believe that Silver was put to rest already. He didn't need to be bothered from where he was. Brendan thinks otherwise obviously. Besides that, Brendan may have acted okay when I yelled at him after our battle with Archie, but I know he still thinks it's my fault that Silver bit the bullet. And maybe he's right."

"No," hastily replied Flare. "The consequences if Silver didn't could have been far worse. He chose to do what he did. You had no choice. And if you didn't do what you did, it could have been Brendan dead. If Silver didn't take the hit, you could have been dead, or at least close to it, and that would have killed Brendan inside."

"He doesn't get that though," said Muddy, crooked smile abroad, like he was holding back tears. "I told him that if he went down, we'd have to go down first."

"He'll understand. One day."

"I wish that day was today."

Flare patted Muddy's shoulder to comfort him as Brendan came ashore.

"Thank you for coming, Saph," said Brendan, smiling a bit as he bent down to pet the Lanturn in the water. "I know it must have been hard for you all to come."

"Pfft, they had no choice," snorted Muddy quietly.

"I was glad to come," replied Sapphire, sniffling a bit. "I think we were all glad to see where he flew last."

"He still flies," said Brendan quietly, head bowed down.

"I'm sick of that line. I can only take so many corny moments," muttered Muddy again, his orange eyes glaring into Brendan's red.

Brendan ignored Muddy, pulling out his clothes from his backpack and slipping them on even though he was still soaking wet. He then returned Sapphire into her ball and looked at May, a small grin abroad.

"Ready?" he asked the girl trainer, now coordinator.

May nodded. "Yeah. You okay though?"

Brendan ran a hand through his hair, looked back at the tall mountain and sighed. "It's hard," he finally muttered. "It really is. He's at peace though. And that's all that matters."

May smiled softly and hugged Brendan. "He's alive in our hearts." She then let go and held tight to his hand, their fingers entwined. She looked down at their hands and blushed lightly, laughing a bit to get rid of her jitters. "Come now. The competition is going to start soon."

"Eh ..." Brendan reluctantly followed the girl through the tall, thick and itchy grass toward Lilycove. "Like I'm that excited to watch some beauty pageant where prissy, sissy Pokémon trainers make fools of themselves."

"Ha," said Flare to Muddy as the walked behind the two trainers. "Like trainer, like Pokémon. You said the same thing earlier today."

"Don't tell me that," growled Muddy. "I am not like him. I am nothing like him."

"You're taking this this too far, Mud Boy."

"Least I realize things. At least I grew up."

"Who said you had to?"

"One of us had to."

Flare frowned as the itchy grass turned into the ash red pavement of Lilycove. The streets were abuzz with excitement. Streamers hung from lamppost to lamppost, colorful balloons decorating the bright blue above because of the contest. The sun dazzled the city, shining down happily upon it, drying any traces of rain from last night's storm. Little kids chased each other in the streets as adults window shopped, looking at the latest fad. Nervous coordinators were busy outside the Coordinator Hall where the contest was taking place, grooming their Pokémon and going over moves.

Brendan, May, and their Pokémon entered the Coordinator Hall which was equally as crowded inside as it was outside. May released Skittles and Cherry from their balls to register them at the front desk as Brendan and an unhappy Swampert walked further into a surprisingly empty room. Brendan closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of a red cushioned bench, looking at the digital clock on the wall.

"Hmm, lunch time," he said more to himself than Muddy who had decided to take a seat at the other end of the bench to watch the television mounted on the wall. The boy trainer shrugged his bag off his shoulders and started to rationalize the food for four Pokémon. He then enlarged five Pokéballs and threw them up, each ball bursting open at different times.

First was Sirius who landed on his front paws and nose in a bowl of Pokémon food before the rest of his body caught up. Then came Thermo and Sapphire. Thermo squeaked happily and Sapphire smiled as she rested on the bench while Brendan brought them both food. Cy came out and immediately began to meditate, hovering an inch above the ground, legs crossed, occasionally teleporting a bit of food into his open mouth. Brendan, who was already up with food, forcefully shoved Muddy's food into his paws, avoiding eye contact. The Swampert glared at him again and put the dish next to him, too disgusted to eat.

A whimpering cry got his attention again. Muddy looked down where the sound was being produced and saw little baby Cinders wrinkling her nose, eyes beginning to water. He then glanced around and counted four bowls of food for five Pokémon. Apparently Brendan forgot about his new recruit.

Twinges of anger continued to build up in the Swampert against his trainer, but he held it back and scooped up the whimpering Vulpix who cries immediately ceased. He placed her next to the bowl of food and urged her to eat. Cinders looked questionably at him and then the bowl before hungrily gobbling it. Muddy smiled lightly as Cinders licked her lips and let out a happy purr before she pounced the floor and began to growl at Muddy's feet playfully.

"Whe's wind wuv woot," said Sirius to Muddy, cheeks puffy because of the food in his mouth.

"Oh dear, the aliens have finally take over Sirius's mind," said Muddy, gasping.

Sirius rolled his eyes and swallowed, gasping for breath. "I said she's kind of cute. You found her alone yesterday? Think her parents are looking for her?"

"Nah. Her father abandoned her and her mother died."

"Aren't you the sensitive one. She's right there."

"I tell you all the time that you smell like dead Goldeen wrapped in Miltank manure. Telling things up front has never been a problem for me before."

"Whatever. So is that why she's so clingy to you? Because you found her?"

"I suppose. I enjoy her company though. She's different from everyone else. Brendan forgot she was alive though."

"Give him some credit. May I remind you," remarked Sirius, hopping and sitting on the bench next to Muddy, "that even though Silver was our friend, we are still more use to death than Brendan. We've witnessed more than him, so it's more of a shock to him. That's why he's isn't too clear in the head."

"He was clear in the head before?"

"You know what I mean. He's still living in the past, in a sense. Cinders came after well ... you know."

"We were raised in the same environment. Brendan and I, I mean," Muddy replied quietly. "I wasn't wild born like you guys were. I haven't witnessed anything close to death, let alone the death of someone close to me."

"It's instinct, Muddy. Natural instinct. Survival of the fittest. It's just how we are, no matter where we're raised."

"I guess."

"Give him some time, Mud Boy. He'll understand."

"Everyone says that."

"Because they also believe in it too."

Muddy leaned back on his paws and started to swing his legs back and forth when the door slammed open, knocking Cy out of his meditation and causing the others to shriek in surprise. In the door frame stood a tall, skinny man with bottle-coke glasses on that slipped to the bridge of his nose. A headset laid crooked on top of his mousy brown hair, and he gripped a clipboard tightly to his chest.

"Ruby!" the tall, skinny, geek-of-a-man shouted in a high pitched voice – at least a voice higher than most men of his age. "You were suppose to be on set fifteen minutes ago!"

Brendan just bit into his Leppa berry and was chewing it slowly, eyeing the strange man wearily. He swallowed, looked around before pointing to himself, double taking between the man and his Pokémon.

The man tapped his foot and then tapped his clipboard. "Let's hop to it, Ruby. Bring Nana –" he pointed at Sirius, "– with you. You said you were opening with her, right?"

"Her!" yelped Sirius, angry. "Hey, pal, my fur may be beyond usual cleanliness, but let me tell you that doesn't make me anymore girly than a ... girl!"

"Uh, sir, I think you have the wrong guy," finally remarked Brendan thoughtfully. "I'm always confused with this Ruby fellow. But I gotta say he has to be a handsome fellow if he keeps being mistaken for me."

"Uh, sure," said the man and he walked into the room and grabbed Brendan by the sleeve. "Let's go now! The contest is about to start! Bring Nana!"

"Er ..." Brendan reluctantly followed the man pulling on his sleeve before turning his head toward his Pokémon. "Come ... Nana."

"Gah, I hate Nanabs! Who the hell would name me after one?" muttered Sirius as he trotted after Brendan, head bowed down.

"No one did. Your name is Sirius," replied Muddy, sitting back up right as he watched the three leave the room. He then turned his head toward the television where crew members were still busy setting up the stage. "So what was that all about?"

Cy resumed the position and hovered a good two feet in the air, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. "It's conspicuous, Bemired. This man holds that Brendan is Ruby because the two seem similar. I commemorate awhile ago, an agent named Agent Triple P cogitated Brendan was Ruby."

Muddy scratched his head. "So uh ... the guy thinks Brendan is a robot?"

Cy sighed. "To the contrary, Bemired."

"Yeah. That's what I thought too."

Sapphire smiled grimly. "So where's this Ruby fellow then?"

Cy opened one of his eyes and grabbed a letter off a nearby desk with his psychic abilities. His open eye darted back and forth quickly as he read the letter before he dropped it to the ground. "Not here. He wrote that he was insusceptible of participating in this contest because he is currently in Evergrande City. No one has seemed to have gotten the memo here."

"So now what?" squeaked Thermo as he hovered near the television set.

"Now? Now we watch."

* * *

"Welcome!" cried the curly-haired announcer into the microphone, waving toward the screaming fans in the audience. "Welcome to Lilycove's annual Pokémon Coordinator Competition!"

At these three words, the crowds roared louder, jumping up and down like wild Aipoms, hands waving wildly in the air.

"Now please put your hands together for our first coordinator, Ruby!"

Brendan blinked twice, Sirius doing the same, before slowly walking onto the stage, squinting from the bright lights. He shielded his eyes and looked at the hundreds of people cheering the name "Ruby" over and over.

"Why am I always confused with this Ruby guy?" sighed Brendan, folding his arms behind his neck. "But all right. When given the opportunity, right, Sir– er, Nana?"

Sirius whimpered at the name, eyes cast toward the floor.

"Oh, get over it. Like I wanted to be named after a gem."

So Brendan began to think. What did he know about Pokémon Contests? He knew they were floaty and la de da de. But that wasn't going to help him get out of this. He knew that the first round was used to show off his Pokémon's moves.

So ... could he just shoot up a Shadow Ball and leave?

"Anytime now, Ruby," said the announcer in a cheery, yet strained, high-pitched voice. "This is strange for the Ruby to hesitate in a competition! He looks completely dumbfound. I have never seen that look on his face before."

The audience went "ooh" at this, whispering to themselves.

Brendan didn't know what they were talking about. He always looked like that.

"Uh. All right, Nana! Fire a Shadow Ball up!"

Sirius eyed Brendan oddly, before pointing his head up toward the ceiling, purple energy escaping through gaps between his teeth even though his jaw was clenched tight. He then released the purple ball of energy that crackled with blue sparks. Without a target though, the Shadow Ball hovered and swirled in the air, looking like a tiny black hole about to suck everything in.

"What an impressive Shadow Ball! It's kind of like having our own space down here!" cheered the announcer, the audience following suit.

"Uh, let's go with that," muttered Brendan to himself, rubbing the back of his head.

Brendan knew that one single attack wouldn't be enough. Wait, why did he care? He didn't even like contests. Of course, he hated losing even more.

_All right well_, Brendan thought to himself. _Most of these coordinators combine attacks to make one boom. Or uh, something. So, er, let's do that!_

"Nana, shoot a Hyper Beam into it!"

Again, Sirius eyed Brendan before releasing a powerful golden beam of light into the Shadow Ball. The Shadow Ball seemed to absorb the powerful attack though it changed colors from a dark violet to an eerie shade of gray.

"Beautiful!" cried the announcer, the audience ooh-ing again.

"It's moonish! Is that a word?" questioned Sirius, tilting his head to one side, tongue hanging out between a gap in his teeth.

"No, but that gives me an idea for a finale!" said Brendan excitedly. "Go underneath it and use Howl!"

Sirius nodded and ran underneath the silvery Shadow Ball, taking in a deep breath before pointing his head up and howling toward the makeshift moon, the vibrations echoing through the large room, breaking the glass lights up above. The only source of light was the silvery Shadow Ball, casting shadows, making Sirius's appeal even more impressive and eerie.

"An unique and spooky combination!" said the mayor of Lilycove.

"Truly unexpected but with fantastic results!" cried the president of the Pokémon Club.

"The use of Shadow Ball, Hyper Beam, and a good knowledge of colors made this appeal as dazzling as that makeshift moon!" remarked the local Nurse Joy.

"Give it up for Ruby!" exclaimed the announcer as Brendan waved toward the audience before walking off stage, Sirius trotting next to his heels.

"Did we win?" asked Sirius excitedly. "I mean, uh, pfft! That was lame! That was the lamest thing I ever did."

"Yeah, same here. That was the lamest thing among lame things," replied Brendan, shifting his eyes to the side. "Think we'll go into the next round?"

"Latios, I hope so, Brendan!"

Brendan giggled rather girlishly before regaining composure, clearing his throat, fixing his collar and walking with his chest puffed out only to be pulled backward by the wrist. The white haired trainer, angry that someone threw him off his manly stance, was about to yell at the perpetrator but then decided to cower in fear. The perpetrator was May, and an angry May at that.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" she asked in a strained voice through a smile, making her look creepy if not maniacal.

"Well, it all started one day when this girl made fun of me for supposedly staring at a tree which then lead to a Pokémon battle, and my dad was all, 'Oh, you should travel with this girl!' and –"

"You know what I mean!" May snarled, digging her sharp nails into Brendan's wrist, making Brendan flinch. "You aren't suppose to be competing!"

"They think I'm someone else," Brendan answered, giving May a small smile. "I tried to get out of it, but they wouldn't listen."

"You tell them that you're not whoever they think you are this instant!" the girl trainer demanded.

"Nah. Since I'm here I thought I might as well find what's interesting so interesting about contests. And it's not that bad. I guess."

"With the lights repaired and our competition back on, please give a warm welcome to our next coordinator, May!" cried the announcer, the audience cheering soon after.

May growled and let go of Brendan, who only smiled sheepishly back, before breathing in deep and walking onto the stage, smiling, eyes shining in the bright light.

"All right, here it goes," she said, enlarging a Pokéball and staring at its glossy red top. She took in another deep breath before reeling her arm back and releasing the ball from her grip. "Skittles, let's do this!"

The Pokéball spiraled in the air in a blur of red, black, and white before bursting open in a blast of white light. Skittles's form burst out from within, landing gracefully on all fours on the center of the stage, mewing her name.

"Risky, but worth it! Start things off with Assist, Skittles!"

Skittles jumped into the air, lifting her paw up where beams of light shot from it. The beams shot toward the ground, lifting chunks of the stage with it. They hovered in the air in a bright white glow, waiting for it to be hurled in any direction.

"Hmm, Cherry's Secret Power," murmured May to herself. "I can work with that. Skittles, keep those rocks hovering and use Faint Attack to get to the middle rock!"

Skittles nodded and fizzled away, appearing on one rock before fading away again, appearing a rock above her. In a mere few seconds, Skittles appeared on the middle rock, the chunks of earth still hovering in the air.

"Alright, make those rocks spin around you and use Shock Wave to destroy them!"

Skittles moved her paw in a small circle, making the boulders around her move around her in an orbit rapidly. She then charged her body up, her fur crackling with electricity, before releasing spontaneous jolts of lightning, hitting the boulders, making them explode into tiny rocks that fell the ground in a shower. Skittles then jumped off her own rock and cried her name out loudly before charging up another lightning bolt and releasing it toward her rock, exploding it as well in thousands of tiny pebbles that fell harmlessly to the ground. The Delcatty flipped in the air and gracefully landed on her feet again, causing the audience to roar in delight.

"Risk worth the reward!" exclaimed the mayor of Lilycove.

"Spectacular!" remarked the President of the Pokémon Club.

"This just proves that you should take every chance you get!" said the local Nurse Joy.

"But will this be enough to pull this first timer into the second round?" asked the announcer, making the audience ooh and cheer in an awkward combination.

* * *

May entered one of the waiting rooms and rolled her eyes, noticing Brendan looking at a picture on the wall, his head shifted slightly to the side. She noticed him double take to the left occasionally before turning his head to the picture again.

"What are you doing?" she asked, puzzled as she walked over toward Brendan and stared at the picture as well.

"I don't know. These two people are looking slightly to the left. So I'm wondering what was over there that caused such interest."

"If there was something that caused them to look that way, you wouldn't know what it is as it would be in that place where that picture was took. A picture isn't a mirror universe that we can see, Brendan."

"How do you know that? But I guess you're right. By the way." Brendan started to laugh lightly. "What was that? Throwing Assist like that was a stupid move. What if it wasn't a move you couldn't work with?"

"Well, it was a move I could work with, " snapped May, blowing her bangs up. "And I think I did pretty well too! Besides, I'm not the one questioning a photographer's poses."

"Relying on chance like that is stupid. And I have every right to question a photographer's poses, especially if something is so keenly interesting slightly to the left!"

"You're stupid!"

"You better, stupid."

"What? I better what?"

"Haha see! You replied to stupid!"

"Brendan Birch!"

"And these are our top eight going on to the next round!" announced the announcer on the television in the waiting room, pointing toward the screen where Brendan's and May's face appeared in the third and fourth slot.

"Brendan, why is your face still there?" exclaimed May, punching Brendan in the shoulder.

Brendan flinched again. "You know, I think you're getting jealous that I'm doing such a better job than you even though I haven't even trained in this style of Pokémon," he replied, self-satisfied, indicating that he was in the third slot while May was in the fourth.

"You're not even suppose to be here!"

"Blah blah blah is all I hear from you, May."

"Grr!"

"Now as you know," said the announcer, "all eight of these contestants will be randomly selected to battle each other. The one who comes up on top without having the most points deducted will move on to the next round." The announcer turned around to the screen again where the contestants' pictures were flipped over and scrambled. "And here our the battles! Let round two begin!"

Brendan and May gaped but weren't too surprised; it was more than likely that they were going to battle each other.

"It's not fair!" whined May, pouting. "I shouldn't even be battling you!"

"You moan a lot. And not in the good way," muttered Brendan.

"What was that?"

"Uh. Nothing!" Brendan grinned innocently. "Listen. You can do this the easy way and tell the judges that I'm an illegal contestant and that they mistook me for Ruby. Or you can actually rely on your skills as a coordinator and trainer and battle me and then tell the judges whatever I said earlier. While I don't think it's fair that you get a free ride to the next round while the others have to battle each other just to gain a position ..."

May scowled and crossed her arms, blowing up her bangs again. "Fine! I'll battle you! And I'll win too!"

"We'll see, Miss May, we'll see."

* * *

"Alright, on to round two!" shouted the announcer into her microphone. "Now, in case you're new to Pokémon Contests, our coordinators will battle with a time limit. Whoever doesn't lose the most style points by the time is over goes on to the next round. Also, if one of the coordinator's Pokémon faints during the battle, the other coordinator will move on to the next round! Now, if you please welcome our first set of coordinators, Ruby and May!"

Brendan and May appeared on opposite ends of the stage, May confidently smiling at her opponent while Brendan, looking solemn, shifted his head slightly to the left, his eyes staring at something on the ground. The audiences' cheers slowly died down as they too looked at what Brendan was looking at curiously.

"Oh, sweet Latias." May slapped her forehead. "Why did I travel with such an idiot?"

"Heh, I stared a trend," Brendan said, casting his eyes up toward the audience.

"Okay, Flare, come on out!" shouted May, making the first move. The Pokéball spiraled in the air and released the Blaziken from her ball, her claws up in flames as she took a battle position.

"Flare, huh?" muttered Brendan to himself. "What Pokémon could take her down that Ruby has as well?" He thought back to the piece of paper that had Ruby's Pokémon on it. The only Pokémon they had in common was a Swampert, a Mightyena, and a Castform. But Sirius was already used in the first round and Thermo sure wasn't able to take on the powerhouse that is Flare.

Brendan unhooked Muddy's Pokéball and enlarged it, looking at it thoughtfully. He didn't want to use Muddy, but it looked like he had no other choice.

"Alright, go Pokéball!" Brendan threw the Pokéball toward the stage, and the ball split into two, releasing the Swamp Pokémon from his ball. Muddy cracked his back and other various body parts on his body before taking a battling stance without a word.

"Don't let me down ..." he heard Brendan mutter quietly. Muddy snorted at this.

"Muddy, huh? Should have saw that coming," said May, smiling again, crossing her arms. "Let's start things off with a Blaze Kick to the head!"

Flare jumped into the air, using her powerful legs to get there as she flipped, her right leg being licked with yellow and orange flames. Her target: Muddy's hard head.

"Dodge it and use Earthquake to throw her off balance!" commanded Brendan.

Muddy quickly stepped backward, merely dodging Flare's attack by inches before punching his fist into the ground, causing the ground to shake, making Flare's already unstable landing harder for her. As a result, she fell backward on her back painfully, causing May to lose style points.

"While she's down, Mud Shot!"

"Hurry, Flare!" pleaded May. "Use Quick Attack to dodge!"

Flare got back on her feet and dodged the sticky mud by quickly moving to the left, and then the right, finally whamming into Muddy, causing the both of them to fall backward. However, Flare bounced back up before she touched the ground, Muddy toppling over like a domino.

"Gah, Muddy," murmured Brendan, shaking his head.

_What does he expect me to do?_ thought Muddy in his head as he hopped back onto his feet, rubbing his head from the hard blow._ It's not like I can dodge a Quick Attack. It's not like I wanted to get hit. It's not like I wanted Silver to take the blow for me!_

The Swampert suddenly started to feel bad, butterflies fluttering in his stomach, the kind of feeling you get when you feel bad or feel guilty. Nevertheless, he had to battle. He had to win in order to regain his trainer's trust in him.

"Use Slash, Flare!"

"Protect!"

Flare quickly darted to Muddy, her right claw glowing with power as she took a swipe at Muddy. She was too late though, for Muddy had already set up a transparent gold barrier that absorbed Flare's attack.

"While you're up close, Blaze Kick him down!"

Flare pulled her claw out of the Protect barrier and raised her leg, slamming into Muddy's head with a powerful blow. Muddy fell flat at Flare's feet on his stomach, groaning from the unbelievable headache that attack caused him.

"Perfect, Flare! Let's finish this up with Slash!"

Brendan's words at the beginning of the battle kept repeating in Muddy's mind as everything went in slow motion, his tail burning in intense heat. The world started to spiral as he kept flashing back between last night and the battle – the hatred that burned in Brendan's eyes when he learned the awful truth about how Muddy got his cut to Flare's glowing claw, to the Sheer Cold that Walrein released, to Flare raising her claw above her head to slashed him down.

No way was he going down this time.

Muddy opened his mouth, unaware to everyone, and released a gooey jet of mud to Flare's left leg, causing her to lose her balance and lightly scratch Muddy's head with her claw.

"Incredible!" exclaimed the announcer. "Ruby's Swampert thought at last moment to use his sticky mud to get back into the battle. It's not over yet, folks!"

Muddy quickly hopped back onto his feet, eyes narrowed as he looked at the squirming Flare, trying to break free from the mud.

"Flare, heat up that mud to break your foot loose!"

"Don't give her the time to!" shouted Brendan, his voice hinted with pride as it seemed to Muddy's ears. "Earthquake!"

_Earthquake? _thought Muddy. He couldn't do that to Flare or any Pokémon in such a state. Without the ability to move around, it could caused some serious damage besides just getting a bit scratched up.

"Come on, pal! Earthquake!"

Pal. He missed being called that. But he couldn't –

"Don't let me down, Mud Boy!"

That was it.

Muddy, his eyes glowing an eerie shade of yellow, his paw glowing with energy, punched the ground like earlier, except with more vigor, causing the ground to shake and crack. Flare rocked back and forth and finally fell backward, a sickening crack sounding, causing her to cry out in agony.

"Flare!" screamed May right when the buzzer for time rang out. She ran toward her Pokémon, who was sitting up, gripping at her leg, squinting her eyes together as if trying not to cry. Nurse Joy and a couple of Chanseys were already at the Blaziken's side, trying to break her leg free.

"Oh dear. I think it's a broken leg."

Muddy, breathing heavily, looked up from his position, his paw still on the ground. He felt his heart drop again. What did he do?

"Good job, Muddy," said Brendan, walking to his Pokémon's side and patting him on the head. "That was incredible! How did you think of such a thing?"

Muddy got back up on his feet and didn't answer, staring at his best friend being propped up onto a stretcher, May holding her claw as they walked to the makeshift Pokémon Center in the building.

The audience murmured in concern and the two remaining judges were huddled together, reading a letter.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the president of the Pokémon club. "It seems that we have an impostor. This is not Ruby. As a result, neither coordinators from this round will advance."

"Well, that's okay. We still kicked – Muddy?" Brendan looked around, noticing that his Pokémon was gone. He ran back into the waiting room where Muddy was hunched over his backpack.

"What the –"

Muddy only put his paw up to stop his trainer's talking and pulled out a Pokéball. He enlarged it by pressing the button and threw it into the air. The ball burst open and from within burst forth a light brown creature that hovered perfectly still in the air without flapping his wings. A white halo-sort of object hovered above his head.

"What is that thing?" asked Brendan, jumping backward in shock. "I never caught that!"

"You did catch it, you just never knew about it," remarked Muddy quietly. "This is Silver, Brendan. Silver. The one you've been thinking about all day. The one that hasn't been making you clear in the head. The one you thought of when you made me attack Flare with that Earthquake, causing her to break her leg. Yeah, that Silver. Only in a different form."

"Silver ..." whispered Brendan, touched the Shedinja lightly. "Is that ... is that really you?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah, well. I'm back. I wouldn't have rushed out like that if I didn't know that my soul would transfer into this body you know. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not that stupid."

"Oh, Silver!" cried out Brendan, tears running down his cheeks, reaching out to hug the Shedinja. "I missed you!"

"It's only been a day, Brendan."

"Muddy! Can you believe that Silver is – Muddy?" asked Brendan, looking around only to find that his Swampert had left again. "Where did he go now?"

"You know, Brendan," said Silver. "I've been in your bag all this time, and I've heard everything. He didn't tell me to jump out in front of him to protect himself, nor would I think that Muddy would ever ask that. In fact, it'd probably be him that jump out in front of us. I did it because I knew I'd come into this form. But treating him like that – like he wanted me to do that for him. He doesn't deserve to be treated like that. He's the bravest of us all, I think."

"Besides you. You saved him."

"Am I? If you had two chances of life, I think anyone would. But if I only had that body, then I probably wouldn't have."

"Oh. Well. Uh."

"You should talk to him," said Silver, hovering out of Brendan's arms and in front of the picture. "Until then, I'm going to stare at this picture and wonder what was so interesting slightly to the left.

"Silver ..." laughed Brendan, wiping his face for tears. He released his other Pokémon. "Maybe you can reacquaint yourself with your fellow teammates."

"Silver!" shouted everyone at the same time as Brendan left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Flare ..." said Muddy quietly, standing next to Flare on her bed, May on the other side, looking fondly at the pair and their friendship as she read a manual called "So your Pokémon Twisted its Leg, Huh?"

"You should be, you horrible thing, you," replied Flare jokingly.

"I am."

"You are not, Muddy." She laughed. "I'm only kidding. It's not like you had a choice. I heard Brendan too, and I know how you wanted to regain his trust. It's only a twisted ankle anyway. It's better than a broken leg."

"But still. There were other ways to regain his trust. I didn't need to hurt you like that."

"It's all right, Muddy. I forgive you. It'll heal, don't you worry. I'm not paralyzed forever. The Chanseys say it will heal in a few days."

"Until then, I'm at your every wake and call!"

"Really?"

"Uhhh. No. But I will let you use me a dummy when you train from now on!"

"I'd like that, Muddy." Flare smiled and adjusted her pillow. "So, you showed him Shedinja?"

"I did," answered Muddy, leaning on the wall next to Flare's bed. "Now he's trying to kill him again with a hug."

"Haha. How did that go?"

"It was kind of a 'what the heck' kind of moment. But now he's hugging him, so I figure Brendan is relieved."

"Think things will get better between you two?"

"He may forgive me now. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to forgive him because of what he did. You know what he made me do."

"Well, we all knew that his preoccupied mind would causing something horrible to happen. Be glad it's nothing too bad."

A knock on the door and then the creaking of it caused the two Pokémon to cease their conversation. Of course it was Brendan, his head peering around the door.

"Muddy, can we talk?" he requested, giving him a small smile.

"I guess." Muddy walked over toward the door, opening it, and then turning back to Flare who mouthed, "Good luck," before walking out and closing the door behind him.

"Okay, so I guess I have a lot of things I should repent for," started Brendan as they two walked down the hallway to the lobby and then outside to the sunshine.

"I couldn't agree more."

"I shouldn't have treated you like you didn't even exist."

"I agree."

"I shouldn't have ignored Cinders like that just because she came after Silver's fall."

"Again, I agree."

"I should have thought more clearly about my battle strategies and the consequences of them."

"If we were playing bingo, you would have already won."

Brendan stopped in his tracks, Muddy following suit. "You aren't making this easy on me," he muttered.

"Like you made it easy on me today," Muddy snapped back, crossing his arms and plopping himself in a nearby bench, Brendan sitting down next to him. "Today was hell. The worst thing about is that you probably would have never believed me that I didn't want Silver to jump out in front of me if Silver didn't come back in his other form. What would have happened then?"

"I don't know."

"Yeah well ..." Muddy trailed off and sighed. "Last night and today weren't the easiest of days for us, I know."

"It hasn't."

"This fighting is making us seem like such girls too."

"It is."

"So ... I forgive you."

"Thanks, Mud Boy. And I hope things will be okay between us from now on."

"As do I."

"Vulpix!"

"Uh." Muddy eyed his trainer oddly. "Whatever floats your boat, B Boy."

"That wasn't me," answered Brendan, equally confused. "Where did that come from?"

Both Pokémon and trainer looked toward the ground where a smiling baby Vulpix sat. She said her name again and hopped in between the two, still smiling, before laying down.

Brendan picked up the baby Vulpix and smiled at her. "I guess we didn't get off to a good start, did we, Cinders?" he remarked, the Vulpix licking his face. He laughed and grinned. "Well, my name is Brendan."

"Yay!" cheered Cinders, licking his face again before squirming out of Brendan's grip and plopping herself in his lap. She yawned and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

Muddy smiled at the two and put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, I think things will be okay," he said, rubbing his tail, feeling the bandanna that covered his scar. "Things will go back to normal if things were ever normal with us anyway."

The three watched the sunset together, the sun illuminating the sky in brilliant shades of yellow, orange and pink. Here ended a tiring day. But it also began a new start.

* * *

Now stop complaining. I updated! Tee hee.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	47. The Day Off

**Disclaimer**: If I own it, I'll be sure to call you first.

Muddy: (waits for phone to ring)

It won't be ringing, Muddy ...

Muddy: It will too. I believe!

Flare: I believe you're stupid.

Muddy: I'm Muddy. How many times must we go over this?

Flare: Sigh.

Muddy: Did you say out loud "sigh?"

Flare: Yes, because someone is too lazy to put parenthesis around it, because obviously that means it's an action.

Duh. I mean come on.

Muddy: Rolls eyes! (Grins)

Anyway, enjoy pl0x. It's kind of side-trackish. Okay, it is side-trackish. But I think we need some light hearted fun back in here anyway.

* * *

**The Day Off**

**

* * *

**

"Still mad at me?" asked the weary voice of Brendan as he followed behind May, panting, head bowed down, hands tightly gripping his backpack strap. He looked up for a second only to see May's turned head glaring at him. Immediately, he snapped his head back down and kicked the ground, watching the dirt cloud float and then settle back down.

"You beat me in a contest that I've been training in for awhile now. I lost to a person who thinks that Pokémon Contests is for prissy, sissy trainers. Why yes, I do feel quite lovely right now," replied May coolly through clenched teeth.

"Really?" remarked Brendan cheerfully, relieved at what May said. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

May huffed, blowing up her bangs, ignoring Brendan's oblivion to her sarcasm.

Besides the sour mood that May was radiating, Lilycove was having another fine and sunny day. Brendan was chipper now that Silver was back in another body. He had to, however, send Sapphire back to his dad's laboratory, but he figured the Lanturn could use a good break anyway.

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked the white-haired boy.

"Run you over with a Rhydon."

"What was that?"

"Er. Run you over the rising ... don."

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"A don."

"Hmm. It means 'to wear,' I think."

"You want to go over the rising wear? That doesn't make sense."

"Neither does a person beating another person who has prepared for something forever while the other one who has no clue what he's doing!" snapped May, stopping dead in her tracks, making Brendan walk into her.

Brendan slowly backed away and rubbed the back out his neck, nervous. "I guess not. Heh ... So you are still mad at me!"

"Yep."

"Oh. Anything I can do to help make you feel better. How about some ice cream? Or some cake? Or some –" Brendan's eyes landed on the Lilycove Department Store, its windows gleaming in the sunlight, "– or some shopping perhaps?"

May gasped and turned around, startling Brendan. "Shopping?" she asked excitedly, beaming, jumping up and down.

Brendan's eyes followed her, still a bit freaked out. "Um, yes. My treat even!"

_Oh Latios, did I just say that? _Brendan thought as May clutched his hands and continued hopping. _Well, she does look happy. And she deserves it after what happened to Flare._

"Oh, Brendan! That's so sweet!" remarked May happily, still clinging onto Brendan's hand as she lead him to the department store. "There's this cute doll I saw in a magazine that I just wanted, and I want some new outfits and – oh, Latias! I can finally get a new bathing suit!"

"Alright!" cheered Brendan, specifically to the bathing suit part.

The two were climbing up the steps to the department store when May stopped, almost making Brendan trip.

"Hey," she said, "maybe we should give our Pokémon a day off though. Just to roam around and relax."

"In Lilycove? Isn't that kind of risky?"

"No, silly," she said, laughing, amazing Brendan at how a girl's mood could be changed when the topic of shopping was brought up. "There's a Pokémon Park around here. We can let them lounge there."

"Sounds good," Brendan replied, looking around for the Pokémon Park. He spotted a huge white place with rolling green hills gated with white picket fences. "Yonder?"

"Yeah!"

Moments later, the two dropped off their Pokémon, leaving behind a dazed Swampert who clung to the gate like a toddler at daycare watching his parents walk off. Once they were out of sight, the Swampert fell backward onto his behind, crossed his arms, and pouted.

"I don't want to be stuck here!" he whined to the Mightyena next to him.

Sirius eyed Muddy oddly. "You know you're an adult Pokémon, right?"

"So?"

Sirius shook his head and pushed the sad Swampert back onto his hind legs with his nose. "Cheer up, pal. It's not everyday we get a day off outside our Pokéballs without Brendan or May here."

"I don't like it here," Muddy continued to complain. "It's too ... green. And ... hill-ish."

"If that's an adjective. Besides, there's a lake over there."

Muddy plopped back down in the grass next to the fence and stared at the outside world, a big frown on his face.

"Oh, leave him, Sirius," said Skittles, walking next to him. "Let him be a baby."

"I am not a baby!" Muddy replied, sniffling.

"Right ..." Skittles nudged Sirius. "C'mon! Let's visit Flare! She's near a table filled with sweets!"

"Like cookies?" exclaimed the Mightyena excitedly.

The Delcatty giggled. "Of course, silly."

"Oh boy!"

The two Pokémon ran off together, laughing, leaving behind the now even sadder Swampert who crossed his arms again and held back a tear. From behind an ancient oak whose branches swayed in the wind was another Swampert though. A Swampert notorious for his hatred for Muddy. A Swampert known as ...

* * *

In the Lilycove Department Store, Brendan was staggering under the weight of all the clothes May piled on top of him. Moving his head to shake a blouse off that landed there, Brendan looked at May, puzzled.

"You sure you need all these clothes?" he asked, barely dodging an older woman who was running for the clothes rack behind him. He then had to duck as a pair of high heels flew over his head.

May, mini skirt in hand, turned around and nodded, giving the white-haired trainer the puppy dog look, blue eyes big and wide, mouth in a small pout. "Oh yes, Brendan. To try on anyway. And don't you think I'd look cute in this skirt?"

Brendan noticed the short length of the skirt and quickly nodded. "For Latios' sake, May, go try it on please," he said in an urgent tone, eyes motioning toward the dressing room.

"I'll disregard how perverted you are just because you're buying it for me," May replied, swiping the blouse that was once on Brendan's head, surprising him and making him fall backward, his head barely missing the pair of high heels that once flew over his head.

"Ow ..."

* * *

"So, little brother, we meet again," cackled the Swampert behind the tree, slapping his paws together in delight. "This is my chance. My chance to get revenge that is!"

This Swampert was known as Shawn, Muddy's twin brother if that's possible considering Mudkips are born out of eggs. But no matter. The point was that Shawn was indeed Muddy's brother and an angry one at that. For it wasn't too long ago when Muddy made a complete fool of him in front of his other brothers and that one scrawny Mightyena. There was also his birthday where Muddy and Flare got all the attention while he was left in the dust.

Of course they did invite him to celebrate with them once they realized it was his birthday too.

"Gah, this is no time to grow a conscience," muttered Shawn to himself, watching the still pouting Muddy. "But what am I to do to him? Total humiliation works well. But how? HOW?"

"You talk awfully loud," said Muddy, turning around, alarming his brother. "Especially to yourself. I think you should get that checked."

"H-how did you hear me?"

"A magical device called ears."

"Where can I get these ... ears?"

"I'm not sure really. I think Brendan got me them for Christmas. Or was that a toaster? Either way." Muddy got up and walked over toward his brother, leaning against the tree. "What are you doing here?"

"I always get shoved in here whenever my trainer wants to shop," growled Shawn, scowling. "I hate it here. It's too green ... and hill-ish."

"Exactly!" remarked Muddy, snapping his fingers. "I thought the same thing too! Obviously this place is evil. I bet Satan lives here!"

"Satan? Isn't it Satin?"

"Oh yeah. It is Satin. Oops. I've been saying Satan all this time. Silly me. I say you and I call a truce for now and work together so we can bust out of this joint!"

"But ... but how?"

"By getting the one who made this place! We're going to get Satin!"

* * *

Brendan could barely see above the shoe boxes and colorful bags from different stores as he sat down on a nearby chair, tired and grumpy from all the walking around and the emptiness of his wallet. As long as May was happy, he was happy – or he'd at least pretend he was anyway. At least this store was a relatively quiet one so he could think and relax. So down went the boxes next to his feet. Down went the bags that laid limp next to him. Down went his head to his chest because his head was too tired to be held up. That is until May asked the most infamous question a girl could ever ask:

"Does this dress make me look fat?"

And with that, Brendan's head snapped up, his eyes wide. His father told him that every guy would hear the question. There was no way to avoid it nor a way around it. But he never told him the answer to the question.

Again, May asked, "Does this make me look fat?"

"Uh ..."

Brendan looked May up and down. It wasn't the most flattering dress that complimented her curves, making her seem a bit more wider than usual. Honesty was the best policy, right?

"Well, to be honest, May, it's not you at all. It's the dress. The dress makes you look fat."

May blinked twice, staring at Brendan in disbelief before gripping her chest and falling to the ground like she was having a heart attack. "How could you say that to me?" she said, sobbing.

Brendan started to panic, gaping. He never dealt with a crying girl before. What was wrong with his answer? It was the truth after all.

The white-haired trainer got on the floor and pulled May to him to comfort her. "Shh ... May," he cooed. "It's alright."

May immediately stopped bawling and pushed Brendan down, standing up. With a huff, she pointed accusingly at him. "I am not fat, and I'll prove it to you!"

"I never said you were!" he shouted back as May retreated back to her dressing room. Ignoring the gawking customers, Brendan pushed himself back onto his feet and sat back down in his seat. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"But what does Satin look like?" curiously asked Muddy. "I've heard stories about him, but that's about it."

"Hmm, well," replied Shawn as the two walked over a grassy knoll, "I know he's red. And I think he has wings. He also has horns on his head and that fork-looking staff thingy like ... like her!" He pointed at Flare from far away. "Flare looks exactly like Satin!"

Muddy rubbed his chin. "I guess. She does have feathers, and feathers are most certainly on wings. That crutch thing she uses to walk with looks kind of like the fork staff thing. But what about her horns?"

"Bah! Two out of three ain't bad. Who else can fit the description here?"

"True. But why would Flare want to trap us in here?"

Shawn gazed upon her again and scowled. "Look. She wants the attention for that silly twisted leg of hers. That's why she came here and trapped us!"

"The horror! It all makes sense!" cried Muddy, clapping his paws together. "So all we have to do is trap Flare and we're free!"

"Right!" exclaimed Shawn. He then collected his cool and crossed his arms. "Now let's get us a chicken."

* * *

_Alright, so saying the dress makes you look fat doesn't work,_ thought Brendan as he watched May's hand from inside the dressing room stall grab hangers from its door. _But it doesn't mean that telling the truth didn't work, right?_

So when May asked the infamous question again, Brendan, smiling, replied:

"Your fat makes you look fat."

He awoke on the floor a few minutes later, his eyesight blurry. The faces that hovered above him started to become clearer though with May's angry but worried blue eyes the most distinct out of them all.

"You have really pretty eyes, May," he said in a daze, not knowing that he even said it in the first place.

At that, May blushed and picked Brendan up, sitting him back in the chair. "Brendan," she said, smiling. "I don't forgive you for what you said, but you sure do know how to make me smile."

"I can count to G!" he replied, smiling crazily.

"I'm sure you can, B Boy. I'm sure you can."

* * *

Muddy and Shawn came across a river on their trail to "Satin" where instead of swimming across like a good water Pokémon would do, they stared at it like their intense glare would drain the river like a puddle on the sidewalk on a hot summer's day.

"Now in hell," said Shawn, "there is a river called Styx."

"What? You mean like the dance musical?"

"I guess so."

"So if we dance, we'll get across?"

"Seems logical."

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

And with that, Shawn started to do an awkward tapping move which caused him to flap his arms when he was mid-jump while Muddy got on all fours and pawed at the ground, arching his back.

"And may I ask what the heck are you doing?" asked Shawn quizzically, eying Muddy who was now licking his paw.

"I could ask the same to you."

"Well, I'm doing the interpretive chicken dance. What are you doing? Cats, the musical?"

"What the – no!" shouted Muddy repulsively. "I'm doing The Lion King."

"That's not a musical, you dummy, that's a movie!"

"It is too a musical! I saw it! I saw it with Brendan, and we had a real good time!"

"Okay, whatever. What part of The Lion King are you doing then?"

"The part before the stampede when – oh, Latios, here come the buffalo! Run!"

"It was gazelle, not buffalo."

"Lions eat gazelles. Why would they run from them?"

"Because they could still trample 'em to death."

"I have no time for this. My lion father apparently isn't going to come, and now I have to save my own skin." And with that, Muddy jumped into the river and began to swim across, leaving an angry Swampert behind.

"It was gazelle, dammit," growled Shawn as he dove into the river to swim after his brother.

* * *

"Hey, dawg," said a boy next to him with long, braided hair with beads dangling from them. He also had a set of bongo drums between his legs.

"Hi, uh, homie," replied Brendan, not sure how to respond.

"How are the digs?"

"Don't know. I don't really look into archeology that much."

The boy with the bongos laughed. "Be chill, man. That's not what I mean. How's that fine lady of yours?"

"Who? May? Um, good, I guess. She keeps asking me if she looks fat in things, and I don't know how to answer without her crying or beating me up."

"Yo, man, the answer is simple. If she asks you again, all you say is 'no.' Say that no matter what. You dig?"

"I guess."

"I knew that you could."

Brendan looked at the bongo playing, braided hair man, not noticing that May had come out of the dressing room, and said, "You're pretty wise, bongo boy."

"You must be wise too, man. Your hair is white. That's chronic, man."

May stepped in front of the two boys and asked, "Does this make me look –"

"No, of course not," Brendan replied hastily without looking at her, winking at the bongo boy.

May pouted and put her hands on her hips. "You're not even looking!"

"Wait – wha?" Brendan immediately turned his head toward May's teary eyes. "No, no don't cry, please."

May tugged at her hair and bit her lip before running back toward the dressing room stall, crying.

Brendan glared at the bongo boy. "Hey! You said that would work!"

"Hey, man, I figured you'd know looking at her was a given," bongo boy replied. "Apparently white hair don't make you wise. But that's chill. I can dig it." With that, the bongo boy stood up and started to walk, the beads in his hair clinking together. "Oh, white hair ain't the chronic, but that's chill. Oh, white hair ain't the chronic, but that's chill. Ohhh ..."

Brendan tuned him out and put his head in his hands, wondering how to answer the question next.

* * *

"There she is," whispered Shawn as the two Swamperts crouched behind a bush. "Look at her absorbing the attention like sponge. Making us keep us here. But we're no fools, are we?"

Muddy looked around and didn't see anyone around but nodded in agreement. "No siree!" exclaimed Muddy in response. "So ... how do we get her?"

"With this." Shawn pulled out a net made out of twigs and grass. "We'll throw this on her. Then we'll ... uh-"

"Steal her fork-thing staff and run?"

"Perfect! She won't be able to control without it! It'll leave her helpless! Now all we got to do is figure out how to throw the net on her and we're set!" The brother Swampert noticed a tree and one of its branches above Flare. "If one of us can climb that tree, we can catch her for sure."

"But wait! What about ... him." Muddy pointed at the sleeping Sirius near the base of the tree. "He'll wake up and rat us out for sure!"

"Then we'll need to distract him. But how? HOW?"

* * *

"Thanks, Skittles, and I'll take care of T.B. for you," said Muddy a few moments of mindless thinking later. "Only if you distract Sirius away from the tree."

Skittles giggled. "Oh, ye of little faith. Of course I can. After all I am irresistible," she said with a wink.

"Um, yeah, sure," replied Muddy as Shawn, with a goofy, love-struck smile on his face, nodded quickly in agreement. "Just keep him busy for five minutes."

"You got it!" And with that, Skittles, purring, gracefully jumped from the bush to the bench where Flare was resting and then next to the sleeping Sirius. She poked him with her paw, and he snorted in response. She poked him again, but this time, he struck out and slashed at her face before snorting again. Skittles howled in protest, alerting the ears of a nearby Manectric.

"Skittles, my love, is that you?" asked T.B., poking his head through the bushes before emerging. "Why did you yelp, my sweet?"

"Oh no. Uh, Muddy?" cried Skittles, panicking, backing up toward the tree. "Uh, anytime now, Muddy."

"That fool is scarin' my woman!" exclaimed Shawn, standing up. "And we must keep the sweet and delicate Skittles safe from things like him!"

"Woman?" asked Muddy ludicrously. "She can't be your woman. She's not even human!"

"I'm coming for you, Skittles!" shouted Shawn, ignoring Muddy and bursting through the bushes. He stopped next to T.B. and growled at him.

"Hey, back off, pal. I was here first to comfort her!" snarled the Manectric, electricity crackling through his fur.

"Ooh, I'm _soooo _scared," sarcastically stated Shawn. "Bring it on!"

T.B. yelled a battle cry and head butted the brother Swampert in the stomach as Shawn tried to punch him in the head. The two fell down and continued to roll in the grass with Skittles watching and Sirius still sleeping on his back with his right fore paw twitching in the air. The two continued to roll past Flare on the bench who looked at them weirdly and past Muddy who stared at his brother in disbelief.

Muddy finally stood up and walked over to Flare, plopping down next to her on the bench. "Well, that worked splendidly."

"Aw, didn't you have some good, quality time with your brother?" asked Flare, laughing.

"Oh, shut up."

"Hey, at least you got him distracted from trying to kill you," remarked Sirius, rolling onto all fours and walking over to the bench. "Did I do alright?"

"Yeah, and thanks."

"You hit me hard though," whined Skittles, hopping onto the bench and sitting next to Flare.

"Aw, poor baby," cooed Sirius in a sarcastic tone.

Skittles started to tear up. "Well, you don't have to be so mean about it," she cried, running away toward the river.

Sirius's eyes went wide. "Oh no! Skittles, don't cry. You know I didn't mean it!" he shouted, running after her.

Muddy turned to Flare. "You know I still hate it here."

"I know. You think it's too green and hill-ish if that's a word," muttered Flare. "But I don't think you've given it much of a chance. It's nice to relax after what we've been through these past few days."

"Yeah, I guess," replied Muddy, putting his paws behind his head. "Nah, still don't like it."

"Muddy ..."

"Flare ..."

"Oh, quiet you," Flare replied, smiling. "How do you think Brendan's taking May's shopping frenzy?"

"Very carefully."

"Because that makes sense."

"I dig it."

"I knew that you could.

* * *

"No," said Brendan proudly, looking May straight in the eye.

"Well thanks, Brendan, but I don't have anything new on," replied May, rolling her eyes. "At least you know better now."

"To lie, lie, lie!"

"No, silly," laughed May as the two walked out of the department store, the sun already setting, falling behind Lilycove's hills. "It's not that I want you to lie about everything. It's just that, well ... I don't know."

"What?" asked Brendan curiously as the two stopped outside the gates of the Pokemon Park. "Tell me."

"I just want to know that no matter what I wear, you'll still think I'm, well, decent-looking," she said quietly, head bowed down.

"You're always beautiful to me, May," answered Brendan truthfully.

May blushed. "You're just saying that."

"No, I mean it. I'll never get that answer wrong."

"Aw, Brendan." May smiled and pushed open the gate, and the two automatically noticed their Pokemon lined up on the other side a few yards away. Muddy was the most noticeable with his arms waving about wildly in the air.

"Muddy!" shouted Brendan excitedly as the two ran toward each other with arms wide open, the setting sun as the background. It was a picture perfect moment until the two reached each other where Muddy promptly slammed Brendan's head into the ground.

"Don't leave me in this awful place again!" he warned, crossing his arms, not noticing Brendan's buried head and twitching body below him.

"So, I'm guessing it was an interesting day, Flare?" asked May as the other Pokemon made their way across toward the gates.

"You could say that," the Blaziken replied as Brendan, dizzy, got back on his feet and started to walk like a drunk. "You could definitely say that."

The group managed to get through the gates when May asked, "Hey, where's Thunderbolt?"

Meanwhile, back inside the park, T.B. and Shawn faced each other, both glaring intensely.

"Best two out of three," the Manectric snarled. "She will be mine!"

"Not if I get her first!" replied Shawn angrily as he charged toward T.B. "RAAAAAA!"

"Okay, lover boy, let's get out of here. This place sickens me," said Muddy in a dull voice, picking up the squirming Manectric and side-stepping to avoid Shawn's incoming attack. Shawn, who missed, tried to stop, only to fall into the river. "Bye, Shawn."

"Put me down, Muddy! I'm not finished yet!" whined T.B.

"I know. Your name is Thunderbolt."

And with that, the wriggling T.B. and Muddy walked behind the rest of the group, leaving behind a cursing Swampert in the river.

"Mark my words, Muddy, you may have distracted me, but I'll get you! And I'll get Skittles too! And the world! And you'll be sorry! You'll all be sorry!" insanely laughed Shawn as he shook a fist at the two. It was then a rock in the river got in Shawn's way and knocked him out, leaving him to drift unconsciously down the river on his back.

"Eh, I'm already sorry," muttered Muddy, pushing open the gates of the park.

"Can you put me down now? I won't go after him," whined T.B.

"Nah. It warms my heart to hold you close like this."

And with that ends another relaxing day –

"Ugh, you again?" said the disgruntled voice of the white-haired trainer. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, nothing. But since I am here, why not a Pokemon battle?"

* * *

Eeee.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	48. The Betrayal

**Disclaimer**: I-

Muddy: Cheese!

Yes. Yes, Muddy, that clearly states that I do not own Pokémon. This fic? Dead? Never!

Muddy: It'll probably out live you.

I know. Forever tarnished as this ... Hoenn League writer.

Muddy: What a crap life you lead, young Breezy. Falaffle.

Uh?

Muddy: That was so random. I'm ashamed of myself. Lowering myself to the noobiness of other talking Pokémon fictions out there. (throws hair back)

You have hair?

Muddy: Yeah, but I'm not telling _YOU _where.

Ew. We're bsing this one btw as I forgot the exact plot (the pearl plot is currently in my mind for some reason). So things might not be as they should. But it's okay! That's why we call it fiction. Right, Muddy?

Muddy: Write! Ahaha get my pun? Right. Write. XD

Yeaaaah. Enjoy!

* * *

**The Betrayal **

**

* * *

**

"A battle, huh?" Smirking, Brendan enlarged a Pokéball in his hand. "Fine, I accept-"

"Oh, no you don't!" May interrupted him and pushed herself between the over confident white-haired trainer and the fuming, green-haired trainer, also known as Wally Wood.

"I don't?"

"You don't."

"But ... but ..." Brendan stuck out his lower lip and pouted, lowering his head and looking up at May. "But I want to beat him!"

"Like you can," Wally snorted.

"Aw, Wally. Don't battle. Not now. Please?" May turned around and smiled at Wally, blinking her eyes a few times.

Wally, like an obedient dog, nodded and smiled back. "Fine," he replied. "I won't. I wouldn't want to humiliate him in front of you anyway. Besides, I need to save my Pokémon's strength for the gym over at Mossdeep."

"That's right. That's the double battle gym, isn't it?"

"Yep. Should be an interesting battle. I was hoping to head over there before nightfall."

"Hey, we all can head there together!" exclaimed an excited May.

"Uh, we can't. We have to surf to get there, and I just realized that, um ... I'm allergic to ... Muddy," Brendan muttered, oblivious to the fact that Muddy was behind him, still holding the squirming Thunderbolt.

May frowned at Brendan. "C'mon, B Boy," she said. "We might as well go together. Haven't you missed Wally?"

"Oh yeah. Like a woman on a diet misses chocolate."

"You missed him that much?"

"Wha – no! I meant like when a woman on a diet sees chocolate, she gets disgusted because she can't eat it because of said diet. So she doesn't miss it because she can't eat it."

"Um, no. A woman on a diet _wants _to eat chocolate but can't because she's on the diet. And why is a _woman _on a diet? Why not a _man? _Are you implying that only women get fat while men do not?"

"No! We went over this before! You don't look fat in that dress! The answer is no!"

"Brendan ..."

"Fine, I'll be nice, but I won't like it."

"You know, I can hear everything you're saying," piped Wally, glaring past May's head toward Brendan.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Brendan apologized sarcastically. "Your green hair blended in with the shrubbery, and I thought you were an awfully short tree."

"You're stupid."

"Better than being a tree."

"I am not a tree!"

"Fine. You're a stupid tree."

"Enough!" yelled May, slapping the two boys who cried out in unison. She turned them around toward the east and pointed toward the island far away. "We need to make it to Mossdeep, and at this rate, we won't make it until midnight."

"How are we going to get there anyway?" Brendan asked curiously, returning his Pokémon back to their balls, May following suit.

May enlarged a Pokéball and threw it up in the air, catching it. "On Hydro of course! He's big enough to carry all three of us and then some."

The three began their ascent toward the shore, May in front while the two boys pushed and shoved each other in the back. Finally, they stopped where the water lapped over their feet. There, May threw the ball into the sea, the ball opening in a bright burst of energy. A large, wavy, shadow slithered underneath the water before emerging from the sea, water glistening off his blue scales. Hydro roared, causing the three trainers to step back a bit.

"Aw, silly Hydro." May giggled, walking thigh deep in the water and petting his side. Hydro purred, bowing his head so May could hop on. "C'mon, guys," she said, mounting on Hydro. "Time's a-wastin'!"

"Uh, are you sure this is safe?" asked Brendan skeptically.

"You know he's just a big sweetie. After all, he was just a Magikarp before, remember?"

Memories of a Magikarp trying to swallow his head whole before being slammed back into the water, evolving, and almost killing Brendan ran through his mind. "Yeah, real sweetheart," he muttered.

Wally already hopped on the waiting Gyarados, leaving only Brendan on the beach. "Fine," May replied. "We'll leave without you then. Have fun swimming!"

"Okay, okay!" Brendan grumbled, kicking the water before walking in it and climbing up Hydro's slippery side. "Let's crack-a-lackin'!"

"Uh, let's not. It sounds terrible. Why such abuse to this ... 'lackin''?"

"Whatever."

Hydro, for such a giant creature, surfed across the ocean smoothly and gracefully, waves gently lapping against his body. The journey to Mossdeep would have also been a smooth journey if not for a bunch of mating Wailmer blocking their way.

"Stop barfing, Brendan. It's not that disgusting. It's a beautiful thing really." May rolled her eyes at her paler-than-usual partner.

Wally wasn't helping the situation either. "And you wonder why the sea is salty. Guess why." He winked at Brendan, laughing as Brendan blew up his cheeks and started to gulp awkwardly.

"Quit it, Wally." May told Hydro to turn around when she noticed a small cavern to the south. "Hmm, what's that?"

"I believe your description said you noticed a cavern."

"What's that?"

"Er. It's a cavern, May. Not sure of what though. Let's go to it."

"Mmkay."

The three (well, two healthy and one metaphorically hurling Aipoms into the sea) surfed toward the cavern. Wally and May hopped off, landing on the soft sand while Brendan slipped off, more on accident than on purpose, landing head first before flipping over to his back. Mouthing an "ow," the trainer rubbed his head and groggily stood up, wiping the sand off his back.

"Argh, is this Mossdeep?"

"No, stupid," Wally replied, shaking his head. "Don't you remember the mating –"

"Shut up. It's better if he can't remember what he saw," May said, interrupting the smirking green-haired trainer. She then squinted, looking up the path where she saw two human figures. "C'mon, there's people up ahead. Let's go talk to them."

"Talking to strangers is dangerous, May. And you do it so willingly too. You set a great example for the kiddies," Brendan muttered, still rubbing his head.

"The only kid here is you," May snapped back as the three ascended the steps toward the two men ahead. She then stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide. "You two hide now!"

Wally looked at Brendan and Brendan looked back at Wally. Nudging the white-haired trainer, Wally asked, "Is she talking to them or us?"

May pushed the two down back into the wet sand. "Just sit there and don't move," she hissed as she approached the two men.

"Pissy May Syndrome?" asked Wally.

"Yep," agreed Brendan.

May, twisting a few strands of hair around with her index finger, walked slowly toward the two Team Aqua guards. "Boys," she said, nodding at them.

The two guards started to playfully hit each other in the shoulder. "Latios, dude, it's _the _May."

"I know," the other one giggled excitedly. "She's hotter than the guys say she is!"

"Hey now ..." May trailed off, not sure whether to be flattered or to slam the two guards' heads together.

"Hey now!" Wally protested, about to stand up when Brendan pulled him back down.

"Uh, anyway," May muttered, trying to ignore her friends, "what are you two doing here?"

"Everyone else is in Slateport. I'm not telling you what they're doing there though!" said one of the guards.

The other guard nodded. "And then everyone else is helping steal a submarine. I'm not telling you where though!"

"Oh well. Uh, thanks." May rubbed the back of her neck nervously and began to step back slowly before turning around and running back toward the shore, Brendan and Wally on her heels, a look of distress on her face.

"What's going on," Brendan asked worriedly as the three walked into the water and climbed back on Hydro. "Are you okay?"

May shook her head. "No. No, I'm not. I think Team Aqua is up to something not good. I'm worried. What are they going to do with a submarine? And where are they going to get it?"

Brendan eyed May wearily as May guided Hydro around toward the coast of Lilycove. "The guard said Slateport."

"I mean where in Slateport are they going to get the submarine. Stupid."

Wally rubbed his chin, the salty wind blowing through his hair. "Well. Slateport is a seaside city. So there has to be a captain there. And when there's a captain, there's a submarine most likely. So have you guys met any captains?"

"There was that crazy guy that confused the Titanic story with the S.S. Anne story," Brendan replied thoughtfully. "But he's retired. I don't think he'd have a submarine. Hmm." It was then a dawned look appeared on his face. "May ... that one guy that we delivered that package to. Remember? Team Magma tried to steal it. He must have a submarine."

"Who? Captain Stern?"

"Yeah. Either way, I think we should check it out. I'd like to give Archie a piece of my mind. Or my fist. Or my foot."

"Darn us meddling kids!" Wally said, laughing at his own jokes. Brendan and May simply looked at each other and then toward the open sea. "Fine," he muttered. "I thought it was funny."

"Yeah, if you're fifty years old," Brendan answered, rolling his eyes.

"You just don't appreciate the humor in my jokes."

"I don't appreciate a lot of things about you, Wally. Let's keep it that way."

Hydro let out another tremendous roar before quickening his pace toward Slateport instead of Lilycove, the salty wind whipping the three trainers' face. The ocean now reflected the pale moonlight and the star-speckled sky instead of the warm orange of the sunset. Soon the lighthouse light of Slateport shone in their direction and the lights of the city danced upon the water's wavy surface. Quickly, the three trainers hopped off the Gyarados as soon as May returned him back to his Pokéball. They ran into a huge crowd of people near the dock, the lights surrounding the area so bright it seemed like it was daytime again.

"What's going on?" asked Brendan as the three pushed their way through the crowd to the front. His question was soon answered when they noticed Gabby and T.Y. interviewing Captain Stern.

"Well, he looks fine," May said. "He's getting interviewed. So maybe those two guards back in Lilycove were wrong. Team Aqua might not be here otherwise they would have done something to him. Wow, Team Aqua is a bunch bullies."

"Yeah, but what would they confuse their information with? If they aren't in their hideout, then where else they could be?" asked Wally.

"Yes," said Captain Stern, making the three trainers pay attention to him instead. "We're very excited about our exploration, and we hope that we not only discover a different type of Pokémon habitat but perhaps, if we're lucky, another type of Pokémon."

"Do you think the Exploration 1 Submarine is up to the challenge?" asked Gabby, looking at the camera T.Y. was holding before looking back at Captain Stern.

"Of course. We've been working on this submarine for years now, making sure it can take the pressure of the sea with a 360 degree underwater camera of what is around us at all times. We're planning to make our voyage early next year, but at this rate, we might be able to go late this year. I'm quite excited."

"This is Hoenn 4 News. Back to you in the studio." Gabby signaled to T.Y. to turn off the camera before shaking Captain Stern's hand. "Thank you for the interview, Captain Stern."

"Not a problem," he replied, shaking her hand.

Gabby and T.Y. packed up and loaded the van before heading off when Brendan, Wally, and May ran up to Captain Stern, the crowd departing slowly but surely. Captain Stern stepped back a bit at the sudden meeting of the three trainers and pushed the frame of his glasses up his nose out of nervousness before realizing who they were and giving them a smile.

"Brendan! May! It's great to see you two again!" he exclaimed delightfully, shaking each of the three trainer's hands. "And you are?" he asked as he shook Wally's.

"Wally Wood," Wally answered. "Er, so is that where you keep the submarine?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Oh. Can I see it?"

"No. No you cannot."

"Oh, haha, I get it. You old people and your stupid grammar or whatever. _May _I see it?"

"No. No you may not.

"Eh, I tried."

"Captain," May murmured, ignoring Wally. "Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around here? Like, people wearing bandannas and dressed kind of like pirates?"

Captain Stern rubbed his chin. "Not that I know of," he answered. "Then again, I have been busy getting ready for the interview –"

"Attention citizens of Slateport," announced a voice over the speakers. "We are pleased to inform you that Team Aqua's plan to better the world is going well. All is going according to plan. We ..."

"Where's that voice coming from?" Brendan asked, everyone looking around, trying to identify where it was coming from.

"It sounds like it's coming from –" Captain Stern's eyes went wide. "The port!" He rushed inside, the three trainers close on his heels. They spotted two members of Team Aqua hop into the submarine and set off at a high speed.

"What are you guys doing?" Brendan demanded, pointing at the Team Aqua member still on the dock. "Answer me!"

"Ha, like I need to tell you," the Team Aqua Grunt laughed, throwing a smoke ball down toward the ground. The ball exploded on impact, engulfing the trainers and the captain in thick, heavy, black smoke. Brendan ran into it, throwing his arms wildly about to try and grab hold of the grunt, coughing heavily. But it was too late; the grunt was gone.

"Tai, blow the smoke away!" May threw a Pokéball into the air and it burst open. Tai let out a cheeky little chirp before using his powerful wings to clear the smoke away. From inside the smoke revealed the white haired trainer, his hair now tinted with gray. He was hunched over, resting his hands on bent knees, still heaving from inhaling too much smoke.

"Look at that hot, grandpa of a mess," muttered Wally as Brendan, coughing, walked over to the other trainers and the captain. Standing up straight, he looked at Wally for a few seconds before punching him in the face, causing the green-haired trainer to fall to the floor.

"I am not a hot grandpa!"

"Ah, so you're just a regular grandpa then?" asked Wally on the floor, rubbing his cheek and laughing.

"Yes – I mean, no! Gah!"

"Oh, who knows what they're going to do with that submarine." Captain Stern rubbed his hands together nervously and started to pace back and forth.

"Wait, May. You're part of Team Aqua," remarked Brendan as he watched Wally hop back on to his feet. "You've got to know what they're up to."

"Slow down. You're part of Team Aqua?" exclaimed Wally, raising an eyebrow.

"Well. Yes. Er, no. I don't know. I joined before I really knew what they were up to." May lowered her head and shifted between her feet nervously. "And by the time I realized what the organization was about, it was too late for me to back out. So I guess I'm more of a spy really ... They don't know that though."

"Well, then why haven't they sent you any information then?"

"That's a good question." May flipped open her Pokénav and scrolled through her messages. "Yeah, no new texts or video messages. That's odd. I know I'm not a high rank on the team or anything, but that one guy here was a grunt, the lowest level on the organization. So everyone must know about this mission."

"Or it could be just that particular grunt that knows. They do the dirty work for organizations, don't they?"

"I guess so but still." May looked at Brendan worriedly. "What if they figured out that I'm not exactly ... loyal, Brendan?"

"Then we'll fight until we can't fight anymore," Brendan replied, determined, his eyes glowing. "I think we should head back toward their base in Lilycove. They should be heading there."

"I think Hydro is too tired for a round trip though."

"No problem. I'll have Gardevoir teleport us there." And with that, Wally threw a Pokéball upward and Gardevoir was released in a beam of bright energy. A tall, elegant figure emerged from her light form, an aura of power radiating from her. "All we got to do is put a hand on her, and we'll be teleported there."

"Please," begged Captain Stern. "Please get my submarine back. Who knows what they can do – or where they can go with it."

Brendan nodded back toward him as he placed a hand on the Gardevoir. Strange energy ran through his veins, and with that they were gone.

* * *

"Well, here we are again," said May on the coast of the Team Aqua base, looking around, squinting into the night. "I guess we should go in, huh, guys?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Of course," Brendan replied half-heartedly, somewhat in a daze.

"What's wrong, B Boy?"

"Nothing. This place just gives me a bad feeling." He enlarged a Pokéball and gripped in tightly in his hand. "Be on guard, guys. Who knows what's up ahead."

May and Wally looked at each other and nodded, following the white-haired trainer's suit. Slowly the three trod up the sandy slope and onto the hard concrete base. Engines hooked up to who knows what hummed, and machines whirled, protected by railing.

"Er, now what?" Brendan asked, curiously looking at the machines.

"Uh, let's go this way," replied Wally, walking ahead, the other two close on his heels. They turned around a few corridors and walked down a long hallway. "I think this is the way toward the port. They probably stopped here to pick up things before setting off to wherever they're going. I think this is it." They stopped at a grand door embellished with carvings and symbols. Wally pushed it open, only to be greeted by two smug admins.

"Well lookie who it is. The brats," said one Admin, known as Matt. "I told you they'd be here."

"Yeah," grunted the other Admin. "Well you know what Archie said. Eliminate anyone who stands in our way."

"This should be fun. Go, Mightyena!"

"Come on out, Golbat!"

The two admins threw their Pokéballs toward the empty battlefield in front of them. From one ball came the Mightyena and the other, a Golbat.

"This should be cake," said Wally, smirking, throwing his own Pokéball toward the battlefield. "Let's do it, Gardevoir!"

"Mightyena, Take Down on the Gardevoir!"

"Not so fast!" shouted Brendan, throwing his own Pokéball toward the battlefield. "Two against one isn't fair! Go, Silver! Block that attack!"

Brendan's ball burst open after a moment of spiraling before revealing Silver's new form of an empty, brown shell. He didn't hover even though he floated mid-air – he didn't even seem to be breathing. He took the Mightyena's attack without flinching.

"Alright, Silver! You rule!" cheered Brendan, throwing a fist in the air.

"Golbat, Wing Attack!"

"Ah, crap," muttered Brendan, watching Silver get smacked hard by the Golbat's huge wings. Silver slowly fell toward the floor, still immobile.

"Nice," murmured May as Brendan returned his Pokémon, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Heh, I know. Let's try this again." With a look of determination sketched on his face, Brendan threw another Pokéball toward the battlefield. "Let's go, Cinders!"

"What is this, try out the new Pokémon da –" May's sentence was interrupted but Brendan didn't notice, too enthralled with the battle.

Cinders eagerly hopped onto the battlefield, looking around curiously. She smiled adorably as she turned around toward Brendan, who smiled back.

"Ah, so cute," remarked a giddy Brendan.

"Grand. I'm sure she could win a cuteness contest. I could use a little help here though!" said a panicky Wally, watching as his Gardevoir took on both attacks from the Mightyena and Golbat at once.

"You think she could?" replied Brendan, gasping with delight, clasping his hands together. "She'd so totally win."

"Brendan!"

"Oh, um, right! Cinders, grab the Mightyena's attention by using Confuse Ray!"

Gardevoir managed to smack both Pokémon back a bit before Cinders jumped in between them, her eyes glowing eerily. It caught the attention of the Mightyena who stepped away from Gardevoir and followed Cinders instead.

Wally let out a sigh in relief. "I'll take care of this now. Gardevoir, Psychic on the Golbat!"

Gardevoir let out a strange yet musical noise from her closed mouth and put an arm out, her arm glowing with a strange, purple energy. The purple energy found its way toward the Golbat. Gardevoir raised her hand and the Golbat went flying with it, slamming into the ceiling. She repeated this several times before throwing her arm toward the still dazed out Mightyena. The two collided with each other, flying into a nearby table.

"Okay, Cinders. Use Flamethrower!"

Cinders took in a deep breath and exhaled a stream of bright, orange fire so powerful that it almost lifted her off her feet. The flames engulfed the two Pokémon, their cries echoing in the room. The two admins quickly withdrew their Pokémon.

"Well, you may of defeated us," Matt replied, minimizing his Pokéball, "and we may have been used as stallers even though we're admins. But we got the job done. Don't you agree?"

"Yes," said the other admin, nodding. "A job well done indeed."

Then the two disappeared into a portal behind.

"Er, what are they talking about?" asked Brendan, picking up his Vulpix and petting her before returning her to her ball.

"They stalled us so they could get away in the submarine," growled Wally, returning Gardevoir. "Should have known. Why didn't we think about that? We could have ran past them."

"Wait, where's May?" Brendan looked around, finally noticing that his girl companion went missing. "Did she try and find the submarine?"

"Good job, Wally. I knew I could count on you," said an all to familiar voice from behind Brendan and Wally. The two turned around, one with an angry glare on his face, the other with a confident smirk.

"No problem, boss," replied Wally smugly. "Did you get her?"

"Of course. I never doubted your abilities. I'm glad that we got the spy before too much information leaked out."

"I figured."

Archie turned his head toward Brendan. "Ah, and you brought the nuisance too. It's like killing two Taillows with one stone."

Brendan growled, not sure who he was more angry with, Wally or Archie. "You're ... you're working with him?"

Wally's smirk grew. "How do you think I knew where to go?"

"You disgust me," Brendan spat. "How could you do this to us? To May?"

"Easily."

"I'm sure you can handle him yourself, right, Wally?" asked Archie, turning his back on the two and walking down the corridor. "I do have a submarine to catch."

"Of course, sir."

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what you did with May!" shouted Brendan, chasing after the admin only to be pulled back by Wally.

"Bad Brendan. I'm not done with you yet. It'll only take a quick second."

Brendan pulled himself free of Wally's grasp and glowered at him with all his might. "I knew you were no good. Why does May like you so much? Why does she trust you?"

"She's so naivé. But that's all over and done. I'll beat you with one Pokémon."

"Ha, don't bet on it."

Thus began the battle of their lives – and May.

* * *

Muddy: You really want people to hate Wally, huh?

Wha? No!

Muddy: You made him a bad guy.

So? I make you look like an idiot and people love you.

Muddy: Yeah, but that's because I'm awesome. Me and ridiculous situations equals more love. Get with the program, Bree.

So true. You know, when I was writing the battle and Cinders used Confuse Ray, it reminded me of the first Pokémon episode I watched. I think it was one with the Eevee brothers and there was a Flareon who used Leer and I remember watching it and thinking, "Ooh, that was cool."

Muddy: Uh?

Blah. Random, I know.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	49. The Rescue

I won't lie.

Muddy: Like how you said you would update more often? xD

Shut up. I'm doing better

Muddy: It's still been more than third of half a year.

Wowies. Fractions. Anyway. Uh ... I forgot what I was going to say.

Muddy: Thanks to me.

...so enjoy.

* * *

**The Rescue**

**

* * *

**

Brendan released the Pokemon from inside the ball before clenching onto the ball tightly, hearing it crack underneath the pressure. He gritted his teeth together, anger bubbling up inside him, ready to burst out. But instead, Brendan took in a deep breath before stating calmly:

"What the _HELL _do you think you're doing with Team Aqua?"

Wally merely shrugged which caused the white-haired trainer to get more upset. "It's none of your concern really," he replied coolly. "It's my life, and I can do what I want with it."

"This isn't some rebellious teenager act like when you were sick, you moron," hissed Brendan. "This is real. May could seriously get hurt out of this. Have you thought about that?"

"Maybe she should have thought better before messing with us."

"Us?" asked Brendan ludicrously. "_Us_? Do you even know what _us_ is? Did you know that your leader almost killed two of my Pokemon and me? Did you know that your admins viciously carved something into one of my Pokemon as a sick joke? Did you?"

Wally paused before answering. "Yes. Yes I did."

"Then you're even more heartless than I thought." Brendan looked at his Pokemon on the battlefield, his Kadabra named Cy. "Alright, pal, let's give this jerk all that he deserves! Psychic now!"

Cy held up his spoons, the spoons glowing in a strange, purple energy as it bent over in half by itself, the star on Cy's head glowing brightly. The purple energy wrapped itself around Wally's Gardevoir who quickly broke free with a quick flick of her arm.

"I'll show you real power!" yelled Wally, holding up a fist. "Gardevoir, use your Psychic attack too!"

Gardevoir nodded and closed her eyes, her own purple aura glowing around her. Soon, her energy found itself around Cy who was slowly lifted up into the air, surprised.

"Hurry, Cy, and use Teleport to get out of there!"

Cy closed his eyes, the star glowing on his head again, before teleporting away as quick as a blink of the eye, breaking away from Gardevoir's attack. He reappeared a few feet away from Gardevoir before teleporting away again when Gardevoir shot another Psychic attack at him.

"Now, Cy! Future Sight!"

Cy said his Pokemon name, landing gracefully on the floor before clasping his hands together, closing his eyes. He then re-opened them, his eyes a shade of blue for a quick second before fading back to their regular color.

"Be careful, Gardevoir," Wally warned. "Use Shadow Ball!"

Brendan's eyes widened a bit at the unexpected ghost attack but kept his composure. "Use Psychic to fight back, Cy!"

Too late. By the time Cy conjured enough energy for the powerful blast, the purplish-black ball of crackling energy collided into his stomach, sending the Psi Pokemon back, skidding along the ground on his back. But Wally didn't have much time to celebrate. Blue lights began to fly toward the Gardevoir, who tried her best to dodge them, before one finally slammed into her head, a sickening thud sounding as she landed on the ground, head first.

Brendan flinched at the two Pokemon and their collisions before returning Cy to his Pokeball, thanking him for a job well done. He then enlarged another Pokeball and threw it into the air, the ball spiraling before releasing the monster from within – the ever friendly Muddy who rubbed his eyes like he just woke up from a nap.

"Agh, what I miss?" he asked sleepily.

"This buffoon here got May kidnapped by those Team Aqua jerks," replied Brendan, glaring at Wally again who was tending to his Gardevoir.

Wally ignored Brendan's statement and sprayed Gardevoir's wounds before returning her to her Pokeball, sighing and standing up. In an almost desperate voice, he said, "What? Too cowardly to fight on your own?"

Brendan and Muddy blinked twice in confusion. "Are you that insane? I mean, I know you're a coward for betraying your friends and all but even so ... wha?"

"You heard me." Wally feebly put his fists up, furrowing his brow. "I'll box you."

"Uh, is he okay, Brendan?" Muddy asked, scratching his head.

"It's a question I find myself asking all the time really," Brendan muttered. "Stop being stupid. Let me beat you so I can find May. Otherwise you forfeit!"

"C'mon," Wally said desperately again, shifting his weight between his feet like he were an actual boxer. "I'll let you go if you beat me."

"Ugh, I have no time for this." Brendan motioned Muddy to follow. "Let's go, Muddy. May can't be too far from here."

"You can't go! We're not done here. Otherwise you lose and I win."

"Grand," Brendan said, turning around but still walking backward at the same time. "You go and tell your friends that you beat me by means of insanity, and you tell me how that goes. But meanwhile, in reality, my best friend is who knows where having stuff done to her that I don't want to think about. So yes. Bye."

"Wait. I need your help."

The white-haired trainer continued running, ignoring the green-haired trainer's plea. His Swampert, however, turned his head, slowing down a little bit.

"Brendan, I really think he means it," Muddy said, turning around toward his trainer.

"Psh," was all Brendan said, still running down the hallway.

"He said he'd _kill_ my Pokemon if I didn't do what he said!" Wally blurted out, flinching soon after, tears swimming in his eyes, causing Brendan to stop his tracks. "I didn't want to do what he said, honest! Y-you don't understand, Brendan. He took my Pokemon. I tried, Brendan. I really tried hard to get them back, but my chest started to hurt, and the world started to spin, and it felt like I was falling and ... and I couldn't save them. It's been days since I've seen the rest of my team. I don't even know if they're alive or if they're even okay. I don't know if they'll forgive me for not saving them. I just want my friends back, Brendan, and I will do ANYTHING to save them."

Brendan opened and re-closed his mouth several times before pressing his lips hard against each other as if trying hard not to say something stupid. Muddy looked back at his trainer, empathy darting in his bright orange eyes.

"The extent of the human soul," Muddy muttered, "and its desire to achieve its goal – in both good and evil – has no limit."

"My Pokemon ... They mean everything to me," Wally said, clinging tightly to Gardevoir's Pokeball, his body shaking as he fell to his knees. "I'd never want to hurt her. May ... She's the only one I've met that cared about me ever since I started my journey. But ... but I have to save them. I-I've got to do whatever it takes!"

Brendan slowly turned around and stared at the quivering boy, frail and weak like when he first met him. "But how? How did he take your Pokemon? And why?"

"It was in ... in Lilycove," Wally murmured, brushing away the tears that fell on his cheeks. "A few days ago. Nurse Joy ... She told me that Team Aqua was in town and it was g-getting people worried about their safety. I-I had to check it out. Then I got there. I thought I could take them all out, and I was doing really well too. Then I started to feel weak again. It was weird; I haven't felt like that ever since I left home. I ... guess I fainted. Next thing I knew, I was tied up with Archie staring straight at me. He was flipping through my PokeNav and noticed that I had you two for friends. So he gave me an option: Trick May to come here or have my Pokemon killed. I knew something bad could happen to her, but I couldn't risk my Pokemon. Please, Brendan! You have to understand!"

Brendan sighed, licked his lips, and looked toward Muddy. Running a hand through his hair, he walked over toward the whimpering green-haired trainer and held out his hand. Wally took it and Brendan pulled him back to his feet.

"Alright," he sighed. "So we've got two problems. One is saving May and the other is getting your Pokemon back. But why didn't you tell us beforehand? We would have helped you."

"It was too risky. I didn't – I guess I should – I don't know."

Brendan sighed again and took out another Pokeball, enlarging it in his hand. With a lazy flick of his hand, he threw it into the air. The ball broke open and released Sirius who immediately scratched his head with his hind leg.

"Sirius," Brendan said. "May's been kidnapped by Archie."

"How damsel of distress of her," Sirius muttered.

"Do you think you can sniff out her scent?"

"I could, but I need something that was hers to begin the trail. Have anything?"

"Hmm. I tried getting her panties once, but let's just say it didn't end well."

"Ew," Muddy shuddered.

"Oh, here!" Wally reached around into his backpack and pull out a red bandanna. "This is May's!"

Brendan took it into his hand, his eyes questioning Wally.

"Well it was her old one?"

Again, Brendan blinked twice, still eyeing the green-haired trainer.

"... I don't have a problem!"

"Riiiight." Brendan held May's old bandanna to Sirius's nose. The Mightyena sniffed it and took off down the corridor, barking, Wally, Brendan and Muddy hot on his heels. He turned around the corner, almost slipping, his toe nails clicking on the cold tile. The four soon stopped in front of two grand, chestnut doors adorned with fancy gold swirls and polished steel door handles. Brendan took these into his hands and pushed the doors open with a little too much force, almost losing his balance.

The room was filled with beeping computers and machines that whirled and the distinct scent of sea water in the air. Brendan's eyes darted wildly, sweeping the room to try and catch a glimpse of his blue-eyed companion. Sirius sniffed at the ground, pressing it harder against the cold tile, slowly inching his way toward the center of the room.

"She's was in here," the Mightyena muttered. "But all the machine parts and the ocean is throwing me off."

"C'mon, guys," Brendan said, trudging forward, Wally and Muddy behind him. He shivered as a machine blew cold air at him. Sand crunched beneath his feet. "May ... Where are you?"

Wally walked in another direction from Brendan, moving his head back and forth before his eyes laid on a Pokemon belt filled with Pokeballs on a table. Eagerly, Wally lifted the Pokemon belt from the table and waved it at Brendan.

"Brendan, hey! I found my Poke-"

A siren sounded, and Brendan quickly turned his head toward Wally, angry but confused at the same time.

"What did you do?"

"I just lifted my belt from the table!"

The double doors were flung open and troops of Aqua Grunts ran in, pushing Brendan, Wally, Muddy and Sirius toward the edge of the docks, the oceans waves angrily churning below.

"Why did this situation seem all too familiar?" Muddy muttered, rolling his eyes.

"What are you two doing here?" inquired one Aqua Grunt, waving an enlarged Pokeball at the duo.

"What did you do with May?" demanded Brendan in returned, glaring back at him.

"The boss took her in the sub, didn't he?" muttered another Aqua Grunt.

"Yeah, they're going to Sootopolis, aren't they?"

"Well, yeah," said the one grunt addressing Brendan. "Good job telling them."

"Sootopolis," Wally murmured, clipping his Pokebelt around himself. "That's right. The only way to access Sootopolis now is underwater due to the unbalanced weather. Too dangerous to fly in this area now for some reason."

Brendan returned Sirius and almost stepped off the dock before regaining his balance. He turned around and looked at the churning water below him.

"Think we could take them all on?" muttered Brendan to Wally, who seemed to be fidgeting with his Pokeballs nervously.

"There's got to be twenty of them. Even if we take them out, you know there'll be more."

"Right. We know all we need to know right now." Brendan turned around back to the Aqua Grunts and smiled. "While I'd love to stay and chat," he grabbed Wally around the shoulder and nudged Wally with his other hand, "I think we need to go."

And with that, the three fell backward into the ocean. Brendan and Wally quickly grabbed onto Muddy's shoulders as he sped through the watery depths, out of the cavern and into the open water, the moonlight streaming up from above. Muddy finally emerged, the two boys gasping for air, the city lights of Mossdeep reflecting in the ocean.

"So. Now what?"

It was such a simple question asked by the green-haired boy, but Brendan wasn't too sure how to answer.

"We have to get her back obviously. You owe her that."

"I owe her my life. I know."

Brendan gripped Muddy's back tighter and sighed, looking at the city. "I just ... I just hope she's okay. How are we going to get there? Archie stole the only submarine we know about, and I doubt that anyone is willing to let us borrow their submarine to take on Team Aqua let alone know someone else with a submarine."

"Dive," Wally said, flicking water out of his bangs. "Kind of like what we did just now, except with a Hidden Move, we can go a deeper depth and keep our breath for longer. I have the HM. My dad gave it to me after I won my last battle. We can use it with Muddy and go to Sootopolis. But ..."

"But?"

"But we need the Mossdeep gym badge to use it."

"Then we better get it."

"We?"

"Tomorrow."

"Wait, we?"

Brendan looked at Wally and nodded, smiling a little. "Yep. It is a double battle gym after all. I couldn't think of a better partner."

Wally blinked a few times like he was holding back tears.

"Are you going to cry?"

"No!" Wally answered quickly, sniffling a bit. "I just don't get why you'd want to help me. I figured you'd just leave me there at the hideout."

"Wally, it's not your fault, okay? You had no choice."

"But ... but it's May."

"Yes, it's May."

"And I let her get captured."

"Yes you did."

"But you still want to help me?"

"No, I want to help May. You're helping me get her back."

Wally nodded, wiping his eyes furiously and sniffing. "Okay."

Muddy slowly swam toward the shore of Mossdeep, throwing the two boys off his back as soon as they hit land. He shook, drops of water flying off his body.

"Ugh, you could at least warn me if you're going to drag me down and then make me wade there," he complained, hitting the side of his head to get water out of his ears.

"Yeah, yeah," Brendan muttered, noticing that the bandanna on Muddy's tail was slipping off due to the water. He pulled it up though Wally did notice the weird scar.

"Hey, what was that?"

"Oh, nothing," Brendan replied innocently, squeezing water out of his shirt. "C'mon. We should get your Pokemon checked."

Wally nodded and the three treaded themselves up the sandy slope toward the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"You know, if you wanted to go swimming, we have spare bathing suits," said Nurse Joy, taking both Brendan and Wally's Pokeballs.

The two boys just looked at each other dully as Nurse Joy laughed, turning around to run the Pokeballs under the scanner. The machine hummed for a minute before beeping softly like a microwave. Nurse Joy picked up Brendan's Pokeballs and one of Wally's and handed them back to them.

"Well, all your Pokemon needed was a recharge," Nurse Joy said as Brendan clipped his Pokemon back to his belt. "But I think I need to keep your Pokemon besides your Gardevoir overnight, Wally. They've been under some pretty intense training. You should be more careful."

"Ah yeah, I ... yeah," Wally replied, looking down at the floor. Brendan patted him on the back. "Do you think I can see them tonight? I'd really like to see them tonight."

"Of course, though they'll be in bed care," Nurse Joy replied, handing over Wally's Pokeballs to a nearby Chansey. "Take these to extensive care if you please, Nurse Chansey."

"What's exactly wrong with them, Nurse Joy?" Brendan asked curiously.

"Just a few major bruises. Malnutrition. Fatigue. They'll be okay in the morning."

Wally sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's all my fault all this is happening. If I wasn't so stupid ..."

"Yeah, well," Brendan replied as the two headed toward the extensive care ward. "What's done is done. Now we just got to fix it. Do you think your Pokemon will be able to battle tomorrow?"

"Physically they will be, but mentally I'm not sure."

"Yeah, I understand.

Brendan and Wally entered a room down the hallway where Wally's Pokemon were already lying in bed, tubes in their body, their eyes clenched closed. Wally slowly walked around toward each bed before stopping at his Delcatty's, sitting at her bedside and petting her gently.

"If Delcatty forgives me, then the rest will too," he said softly. "She was the most stubborn when it came to getting her to like me. Very high maintenance. I wouldn't take back all the hard work, all the hardship that we went through together. It's a horrible feeling, Brendan."

"I know it is."

"How do I forgive myself?"

Brendan thought back not to long ago back at Mt. Chimney and stared down at Muddy's Pokeball. "You're going to feel like an ass. It's true. But listen to them. Listen to what your Pokemon have to say. And then you'll know when it'll be alright to forgive yourself."

Wally nodded and played with Delcatty's blanket.

"I'll leave you alone for awhile," Brendan said. He turned around and gave Wally a final smile before walking out of the hallway and down toward their room. Opening the door and then shutting it behind him, Brendan sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. Bursts of lights exploded from his belt before forming into the shapes of his Pokemon.

"What's wrong, B Boy?" Muddy asked.

"May calls me that."

"Okay, what's wrong, Brendan?"

"May calls me that."

"Fine! What's wrong, Goliath, King of the Monkey Puppets!"

"Ugh ..."

Muddy smirked as Cinders jumped into his arms, purring happily. "Really though. She's fine. She has Flare with her and whoever else is on her team. She's strong."

"I guess." Brendan sighed and looked up, Cinders quickly jumping into his lap after that, licking his face. Brendan smiled a little bit. "You're right. She'll be okay. And she'll be back with me, in my arms."

Muddy raised an eyebrow, Sirius snickering behind him. "And you're positive that you don't have feelings for her?"

"What? Of course I don't! Don't be ridiculous!"

"Mhm."

"Right."

Brendan stood up and looked out the window toward the darkened gym. "Tomorrow, we're going to battle Liza and Tate. With Wally. And we'll win. For May."

"Are you ready?"

Brendan smirked and pocketed his hands. "You know it."

* * *

Oh. I remember. Psychic battles are boring to write about. Oh and uh, we're skipping the uh... Space Station thing because I forgot about it. Haha. I'll try to write a holiday (political correctness ahaha) this month, but you know how I .

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	50. The Santa Pursuit

Happy late Christmas or however you celebrate the holidays. Technically, I could have had this done before the holiday, but I got bombarded with presents and my sister coming home. Then I got the flu and it was all ... blah. Oh yes, and thank you, one of you, for leaving a super sweet review on SPPf. Lol.

One of my exported documents is -59 days old. Happy -59 birfday, exported chapter that I should update but never did. Anyway, hit it!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokémon, but Muddy's a brat in this chapter.

Muddy: ;o;

**Disclaimer**: That's right, foo'!

Muddy: You're a piece of cheese breath, disclaimer. ;o;

Cheese breath? Anyway, this is the Christmas special. Number 2! Because number 1 was lame.

Muddy: What was that one about anyway?

I don't know. (looks back at it) Something I wrote with what's his face. He was a lame-r.

Muddy: In fact, he was a lame-o.

Oh snap. Another letter.

Muddy: Believe it!

This chapter is sort of ... AU because, well, May's in it and technically she's not suppose to be in the story right now. Oh well. Enjoy!

* * *

**The Santa Pursuit**

**

* * *

**

"What is ... Christmas, Muddy?"

Muddy looked down at the Vulpix who's dark brown eyes were wide and bright. She licked her nose, still gazing up at her favorite Swampert.

"How do you not know what Christmas is?" asked Sirius bewilderedly, looking up from the cookie he was nibbling on between his paws. "Christmas is ... Christmas! You celebrate, you open presents, you eat, you sleep from eating too much, you wake up and open more presents! It's such a lovely day!"

"It's more than that," said the Delcatty who was sitting at the window pane, turning her head from the snow falling outside to the Mightyena lying on the snug, red rug. "It's about spending time with your loved ones and giving!"

"Yeah, right. So if I give you time spent with me, you wouldn't bite my head off it I didn't get you anything?"

"Well-"

"Exactly," Sirius said, going back to nibbling on his cookie. Skittles rolled her eyes and turned her head back toward the window, pressing her nose against the cold glass.

"Did you know that people celebrate Christmas in different ways?" Flare said, preening her feathers while sitting on the bed. "In some areas, it's more traditional to open presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day. And there's so many names for Santa Clause, like Saint Nicholas and Papa Noel. Some areas also think he's a retired pope from a distant country. And some people use their shoes for stockings instead. And if you were really bad, you'd either get beat and kicked or whisked away in a sack to Kanto or something. And did you know that people aren't sure how many elves Santa has? We know it's between six and eight."

"He _kicks _you?" asked Cy, sneering.

"Well, not anymore, " Flare muttered, looking away shiftily. "That used to scare the children. Now he just 'pretends' to kick you."

"And why is it six to eight? Couldn't they narrow it down after all these years?"

"Really now?" Sirius said, looking up again. He cocked his head toward the side. "And how do we celebrate it here?"

"What? You mean you don't know?" asked Cy, opening one eye from the corner he was meditating in. "You mean, for all this time, you thought being good would get you presents and all you'd get is coal if you were bad?"

Sirius started to look nervous. "You mean ... that's not how it works here?"

"Oh course not," the psychic Pokémon replied.

The Delcatty smirked. "In that case," Skittles said, looking back at the hyena Pokémon. "Listen, you might want to pack a few things. The former bishop of Hoenn will be coming with his six to eight elves tonight. They might put cookies in your shoes, they might stuff you in a sack and take you to Kanto, or they might pretend to kick you. I don't know, but I want you to be prepared."

"Oh, no!" Sirius yelped, hopping on to his feet. "I better get ready!" And with that, he ran out the door, skidding on the slippery wood.

"So mean, Skittles," Flare said, trying to hold back her laughter.

"I try," the Delcatty replied, smiling before pressing a paw against the window, scraping the frost off with her claw.

"That's not what really happens. Right, Muddy?" Cinders asked, her eyes swimming with tears.

"Hell if I know," Muddy replied, shrugging, causing the Vulpix to break down in tears.

"Real fatherly figure you are, aren't you, Muddy?" Flare clucked her tongue and picked up Cinders, rocking her back and forth and soothing her. The Vulpix let out a weird burp and whimper at the same time before settling in Flare's arms, cooing. "Of course that's not what happens, Cinders. At least it doesn't happen to the good Pokémon out there. Sirius, on the other hand, not so much. But you're a good one, let me tell you."

"So ... what happens on Christmas?"

"Well, if you're a good Pokémon, like you are, Santa will drop down and give you presents in your stocking or under your tree."

"How does he get in the house though?"

"Oh, with pixie dust and fairy ... flies!" Muddy answered sarcastically, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Muddy!" Flare snapped, glaring at the pouting Swampert.

"What, Flare? It's not like Santa has ever come for us anyway."

"He doesn't?" Cinders asked, her eyes filling with tears again.

"Stop being an ignoramus by trying to ruin Christmas for everyone, Scrooge," Cy muttered, closing his eyes again. "And what the heck are fairy flies?"

"I am not! Fine." Muddy looked at Cinders still in Flare's arms and stated really seriously, "All right, Cinders. Santa is very real, and he's very generous and giving, and I'm sure he'll give you whatever your little heart desires."

Cinders smiled and hopped out of Flare's arms, nuzzling against Muddy's leg. "I knew it, Muddy! I'm going to find Thermo right now! We're going to make sure Santa finds our house tonight!" And with that, the little Vulpix darted out of the room, skidding along the floor like the Mightyena before her.

Skittles waited a few seconds after she departed before addressing Muddy angrily. "Why are you such a brat, especially around this time of year?"

"What's so special about Christmas?" he muttered, looking down toward the floor. "Every year it's the same thing. Brendan gets all wired up on eggnog, May tries to force us to eat her awful fruit cake, and Santa never comes. And that's that. There's nothing special about it."

"That's not the point," Flare replied. "It's the point that we're all together, not fighting, not traveling, but actually together, like a family."

"Psh," was all the Swampert said as he slid to the floor, landing on his bottom.

"Oh, don't be such a spoiled sport," the Blaziken replied. "If not for yourself, then for Cinders. This is her first Christmas period, let alone with a family, you know."

"I know."

Skittles rolled her eyes again before jumping off the window pane and sitting next to Muddy, rubbing up against his arm, causing the Swampert to shiver. "Be nice."

"Ugh, stop touching me. It's giving me the creeps."

Skittles pouted and gracefully yet angrily walked out the door huffily, flicking her tail back and forth.

Flare blinked, amused. "I think she-"

"Don't say it, Flare. It'd be creepy if she did, and Sirius would kill me if he found out."

"He's too preoccupied worrying about Santa to notice."

"Blah."

"Cheer up, Scrooge." Flare stood up and patted Muddy on the head before walking out of the room, leaving Muddy and Cy behind. Muddy sat down on the bed and stared at the Kadabra who was too deep in thought to notice.

"What do you think about, Cy? How do you keep meditation that long?"

"Well, that six to eight elves thing is starting to bother me," Cy retorted simply, his nose twitching a little bit. He opened his eyes and hovered onto his feet with a light blast of psychic energy. "I think I'm going to figure it out. It's probably a simple mathematical equation." Cy grabbed a chalk board and chalk from another room with his mind powers and began to write out formulas, scratching his chin a few times.

"If you say so." And with that, Muddy went to lie down on his back, throwing a pillow over his face.

* * *

"And whatcha doing there, Cinders?" asked Brendan curiously, dropping to his knees to look at what the Vulpix was doing.

Cinders dropped the marker from her mouth and smiled cutely at her trainer. "It's a sign for Santa! The red lines are my wish list!" She pushed the paper toward Brendan, and although the paper was basically a bunch of multi-colored scribbles, Brendan couldn't help but gush about it.

"She's so smart, my little Cinders!" he cooed, picking up the fire fox and standing up, twirling her about, causing her to giggle. He stopped when May stepped in front of him, apron and hands on her hip. "Why, May! That angry, pissy stare of yours really brings out the color of your eyes."

"Shut your mouth," she replied, trying to hide her smile. She returned back behind the counter of the kitchen and continued to mix things in a bowl. "That Vulpix has made you disgustingly sappy."

"But look at her!" Brendan shoved Cinders in May's face. Cinders pouted cutely, her paws drooping. "She just oozes adorable ... ness."

"Yeah, yeah." May gripped the bowl tighter and she continued to mix. "Gah, this is getting hard."

"For the last time, May, no matter what you do, your food is going to taste god_da_mn awful."

"It does not! T.B. likes it! Right?"

Thunderbolt looked up from his spot on the couch, stared wide eyed at his trainer and then turned away, snorting.

"Oh c'mon! I know you liked it!" argued May.

"True," muttered the Manectric. "I also have the same like for tetanus shots and rabies."

"Thunderbolt ..."

"You know what I think is weird?" asked Brendan, hopping onto the counter, placing Cinders next to him. "I think it's weird how you named Thunderbolt 'Thunderbolt' seeing as the rules for nicknames state you can only have ten letters for a nickname, and his name has eleven."

"I'm just magical like that."

"Latios granted you those good powers. Why not call it a day and realize that he didn't give you the powers of cooking?"

"I am going to cook a good meal, darn you, and you're going to like it."

"I know. I have to 'like' it every year if I don't want to end up dead the next morning."

"Which is a pretty lose-lose situation if you think about it," muttered T.B. "You'll die either way."

"Ah, _trueeee_."

May huffed and paid attention toward the Vulpix who was pawing at her picture. "And what do you want for Christmas, Cinders?"

Cinders looked up at May and smiled a little. "I want um ... everyone to be happy-" Brendan awed at this, "-and um ... for no more bad teams that do bad things! I also want Santa Clause to visit me and prove to Muddy that he's real! Mhm." She pawed at her picture again. "But that won't happen."

"Oh?" The girl frowned. "And why's that?"

Cinders pouted a bit. "Because what if Muddy's right and Santa isn't real?"

Brendan and May looked at each other as Cinders looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, her picture in her mouth. She jumped off the counter and landed gracefully on all fours before heading toward another room.

"And why doesn't Muddy believe in Santa?" May asked Brendan curiously when the Vulpix was out of earshot.

"Oh, it's because of that one Christmas last year when he pulled my beard on accident when I was playing Santa. It's not my fault though. You would have lost balance too if someone heavier and taller than you sat on your knee."

"Oh, I remember that. Nurse Joy said that was the first hysteria attack due to fake Santa she had ever seen for a Pokémon."

"Yep. The ER sure is festive during Christmas."

"Poor Cinders. What are we going to do if Santa doesn't deliver?"

"I don't know."

Muddy couldn't stand to listen to anymore and trudged down the hallway again, thinking to himself. He couldn't ruin Christmas for Cinders. But how could he make it better?

* * *

"... So according to my calculations based on distance, in meters, from here to the North Pole, the years the legend of Santa has been told, the number of regions where Christmas is the major holiday of this season, and the net weight of a sleigh, Santa has ... 7.32 elves," Cy said triumphantly, putting the chalk down in the tray and slapping his hands together, conjuring up a white dust cloud.

Sirius coughed and scratched the back of his head with his hind foot before staring at the board. "If you say so, Cy," he muttered as Cy happily levitated out of the room. Sirius closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when the door busted open, awakening him with a yelp. He landed on all fours and noticed Muddy standing at the door frame, panting, a glint of happiness and craziness in his eyes.

"We're going to be Santa!" Muddy exclaimed excitedly.

He paused before answering. "Excuse me?" Sirius asked, puzzled. "Did you say_ we're_?"

"Well no, not we're! I am! And you're going to be my elf!"

"Ho ho _NO_!" The Mightyena yelped, jumping up a little bit. "I can't be an elf! According to Cy, there's-" he looked at the board, squinting his eyes, "-7.32 elves! I can't play 7.32 elves!"

"You'll play one elf!" Muddy replied happily. "Cinders can't count! We'll just tell her you're 7.32 elves!"

"I refuse to wear that stupid hat with those stupid ears!"

"Fine. You already have stupid ears. All you need is a stupid hat!"

"Muddy ..."

"Oh c'mon, Sirius." Muddy frowned, looking out at the snow that twisted and turned with the wind. "This means a lot to her. Don't you want to be nice for a change?"

"Um ... No?"

"Fine. I hope you enjoy getting pretend kicked by Santa when you fall asleep tonight."

"Okay, okay," Sirius grumbled, hopping onto the bed to get a better look at Muddy's face. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Just because I don't think Santa is real doesn't mean Cinders should, right?"

"Sure. But how are we going to get costumes for it? You're fat and I, well, have four legs."

"I prefer the term horizontally challenged, thank you. Santa is fat, so I'm sure they have prepared costumes at the store. That's where the sissy trainers buy clothes to dress up their Pokémon for contests. Maybe they have Santa suits there!"

"We don't have money."

"We'll ... steal it?"

"You don't exactly look like Santa. You don't have a beard."

"We'll grow one!"

"Your face is blue."

"We'll tell her that ... I fell in paint or something. We can make this work! No problem!"

"Ugh, fine. Guess there's no convincing you otherwise. But how are we going to 'steal' the costumes then?"

Muddy rubbed his paws together. "Oh, I have a plan. But you're going to have to play along."

"As always." Sirius rolled his eyes as he followed Muddy outside the room.

* * *

"Last day to shop EVER," muttered Sirius, reading a sign in a store window. "Does that swap meet know something that we don't?"

"Okay, here's what we'll do," the Swampert said in the back of an alleyway. He was bent over so his face was close to a vent. "See this vent here? It leads to the costume store. You're going to crawl into this vent and wait for me to distract the people inside so you can bust in and steal a Santa suit and maybe a nice hat for you."

"Oh, exciting," Sirius muttered, blowing a snowflake off his nose. He shivered and more snow flew out from his furry, black coat. "Let's just get this over with. I'm cold." With that, Muddy took off the vent cover, and Sirius started to crawl inside only to get his rear stuck in the opening. "I'm stuck!" he yelped, his voice muffled.

"Dammit, Sirius! Use the boost to get through!"

"Are you quoting Star Fox? I refuse to use the listen to that donkey."

"He's a rabbit, ahem."

"Whatever. Sorry that Peppy sounds like a donkey name."

Muddy slammed into Sirius, pushing the poor hyena's entire body inside the vent. "There you go. Now you crawl toward the end and wait until the people are looking at me." He smiled, tapping the vent happily.

"Yeah, yeah."

Muddy stood back up and walked toward the front of the store, trying to wipe away the footsteps he left in the store. Since it was Christmas Eve, a lot of fathers were renting Santa suits to surprise their kids, most of them being on the verge of divorce and this being the last, desperate attempt to win back their kids. The Swampert peered around the corner and slipped back when a man walked out, a little kid pulling down at his jacket. Like a spy - or what Muddy assumed to be spy-like - he rolled on the floor behind a shelf and looked over it, orange eyes darting about. He looked toward the vent where he saw Sirius's red, eerie eyes staring at him, his nose pressed against the cold gates of the vent. Looking around, he noticed a toy gun lying next to him.

"Hmm, perhaps I can use this to distract them," he muttered, examining the gun.

Holding it delicately, Muddy tried to pull the trigger with his huge paws but lost his grip, causing the gun to fly out of his hands and break the window. Wide-eyed, Muddy ducked as the store owner and the customers ran outside to see what happened.

"Uh, that works too. I guess."

As soon as the store was empty, Sirius busted through the vent's gate and landed on his side, skidding into boxes. Coughing, he looked around hastily but noticed that there no Santa suits left on the rack labeled "Santa suits sold here!" Thinking quickly, Sirius noticed the mannequin sporting a Santa costume and grabbed it by the leg, half running, half dragging it out of the store.

"Why did you grab the entire mannequin?" Muddy asked, following the Mightyena as soon he exited the store, the rest of the store's recipients going back in.

Sure enough, the rest of Santa's body was connected to the leg that Sirius held tightly in his mouth.

"I ... I don't know."

"It looks like you went on a rampage and killed a mall Santa," the Swampert muttered, bending down to examine the mannequin. "What, Sirius? Didn't get his picture with him?"

"Shut up."

"Mommy, that Mightyena murdered Santa Clause!" a little girl screamed, pointing at the hyena Pokémon. "Do something, mommy!"

"Bad dog!" the mom said, thwacking her purse in her hand, slowing approaching the Mightyena, her eyes flaming.

"I think running is a good idea now," the Mightyena said, backing up as Muddy picked up the mannequin.

"Good idea," he replied, backing up as well before turning around and sprinting, the mother hot on their heels.

* * *

"What are Santa beards made out of?" asked Sirius as the two sat in the garden of Brendan's house, the Santa costume neatly piled against some dead shrubbery. He rubbed the back of his head with a paw where the lady whacked him with her brick-like purse.

"Well ... white stuff?" Muddy replied, a bandage around his head.

"Oh good job, Muddy! Not vague or unspecific at all!"

"I know! Hmm." Muddy looked up and around himself before looking up at the sky. "Well, clouds are white. Maybe we could make clouds and put them on my face!"

"Good idea! But how do we make them?"

* * *

Sirius sighed, incapable of believing he was friends with such a moron. "I don't think this is a good idea, Muddy."

"Sure it is!" Muddy put a face mask over his head where only his beady orange eyes showed through the protective glass. He flipped on a switch on the machine he was holding, and the machine sputtered and rumbled before successfully turning on. "Clouds are kind of wet, right?"

"Right ..."

"So if we melt this piece of ice, you can catch the steam that floats up with that paper baggy, and we'll play around with it until it forms into a beard! So it's sort of like a cloud but in a smarter way. Are you ready?"

"Easy for you to say! You're the one with the mask!"

"Sissy!"

"Ugh! Fine!" Sirius sighed and grabbed the paper bag with mouth. "Weady," he said, his voice muffled with the bag.

"All right then." Muddy pointed the flamethrower at a block of ice. Smirking from behind the mask, he pushed the button, and orange flames licked the ice. After a few seconds, steam began to rise, and Sirius quickly stood on his hind legs, putting the paper bag over it. A rogue flame, however, danced upward and hit the paper bag, causing it to go up in flames. Sirius, panicking, threw the bag behind him into the shrubbery.

"Ow!" Sirius yelped, burying his chin in the snow. "That was hot!"

"You let go of the steam," Muddy complained, turning off the flamethrower and lifting up the mask, oblivious to the now growing fire behind him. He pointed a finger at the Mightyena. "You ruined Christmas!"

"_I_ ruined Christmas?" Sirius shouted, pulling his head from the snow and glaring at Muddy, Muddy glaring right back. "You're the one that acted all depressed and stupid and caused Cinders to almost not believe in Santa Clause!"

"I'm not the one that killed mall Santa! You ... you Santa murderer!"

"This again? It was a doll!"

"What if Santa is a doll, huh? I hope you get your a_s_s pretend kicked tonight by him!"

"For the love of - do you smell that?" Sirius sniffed the air, licking his lips. "It sort of smells good."

"Hmm ... Did May get better at cooking?" Muddy looked behind him and noticed the wall of flames licking the outer portion of the house. "Oh, the house is on fire." He shrugged and looked back at Sirius. "Now where was I?"

Sirius, wide eyed, looked back and forth at the fire and Muddy. "Oh, my god! Do something!" he finally managed to gasp out.

"Uh." Muddy looked down at his flamethrower and shot more flames at the house. "Kill it with fire!"

"No! Put it out with water!"

"That's right!" Muddy cried out ecstatically, jumping up and down, pointing to himself. "That's right! I'm a water Pokémon!" He immediately dropped the flamethrower, took in a huge breath of air and shot a powerful blast of water from his mouth, extinguishing the flames. Black smoke went up hazily in weird spirals, and the entire front wall of the house was scorched.

"Hmm ... Do you think Brendan will notice?" Muddy asked, scratching his head. "I mean the new paint job or lack thereof really?"

"We'll ... just leave through the back door from now on," Sirius muttered. A bag fell on top of his head. Shaking it off, Sirius read the title on the bag. "Hmm ... Cotton balls?"

"Yeah, Cinnamon Buns?"

"Wha - I wasn't addressing you! I was reading the bag."

"Gotcha, Cinnamon Buns."

"Psh, I wish." Sirius picked up the bag with his teeth. "Maywe we cab make duh beard wid this."

"Genius! All we need is something sticky. Turn around, Cinnamon Buns!"

Sirius spat out the bag and backed away from Muddy, eyes wide again. "How about we use glue instead?"

"That works too!"

* * *

"So, how do I look, Cinnamon Buns?"

"Stop calling me that!" Sirius snapped. He walked slowly around Muddy in a circle. Muddy had already dressed, the red, velvet cloth of the sleeves drooping off his arms. A Santa hat sat askew on his head, the white puff of cotton swinging into his eyes. The robe was somewhat short, cutting off at his stomach, and the pants were too baggy, hanging over Muddy's feet like a five year-old in footsie pajamas. Cord rope was tied around his waist to keep his pants up, and his make-shift beard was still soggy with glue, sloppily made and smelling like wet dog wrapped in dead fish wrapping paper.

"You're like Santa from the hood," Sirius muttered, tugging down at Muddy's Santa robe. He let go and it snapped back up, alarming the Swampert. "Which is cool, I guess."

"Word," Muddy replied, crossing his arms and throwing up a sign.

Flare entered the room, blinked twice and stood at the door frame. "So ... uh. What's this?"

"A door frame," Muddy replied. "It's a magical device that allows you to pass through walls."

"Not that!" Flare rolled her eyes and leaned against the frame. She pointed at Muddy in his suit. "This."

"A claw, my dear Flare. You use it to pick things up and give me the finger, just like you are right now."

"Oh, forget it."

Sirius smirked, holding back laughter. "Muddy is going to play Santa for Cinders!"

"Is he now?" Flare smiled and sat on the bed, resting her chin on a claw. "That's nice of him. I'm quite flabbergasted."

"I don't know what that mean, but I be it. Aight?" Muddy replied, fixing the hat on his head. He looked at the clock behind him. It read 10:03. "Okay, I think I should bust out there now. May should be super angry at her cooking and not paying attention, and Brendan is probably all loopy off of the eggnog and singing karaoke, right?"

"Maybe they're makey-wakey outy-wout," Sirius replied, snickering.

"Are you acting the fool again, Sirius? I do not have time for that." Muddy nervously tugged at his hat again and walked toward the doorway. He looked back at Flare and Sirius. "Think I can do this?"

Flare rolled her eyes. "Psh. Cinders believes one plus one equals window."

"It does, dammit!" Muddy snapped. He smiled and pointed to himself confidently. "I taught her that."

"Oh, Latios, she's doomed. But I've got to watch this." With that, Flare stood up and followed Muddy out the door, Sirius on her heels.

Muddy entered the living room, where May, like every Christmas Eve, was flapping her apron at the oven because something was burning in it and Brendan was laughing and dancing with himself as he sang "Last Christmas" along with the television. Cinders was on the couch, half awake, half sleeping with T.B. next to her, watching her carefully just in case Brendan accidentally sits on her. Cherry, Silver, and Tai were perched on the couch, watching Brendan amusedly.

"So, if I hit you with tackle or something, you wouldn't feel it?" Cherry asked, turning her attention toward the Shedinja.

"Nope," Silver said confidently, puffing out his chest. "That's why this form is so cool."

Tai rolled his eyes. "But look at this, Cherry." Tai extended his wing out and slap Silver on the back, causing Silver's eyes to go back and fall forward.

"Shovel, shovel, shovel!" Muddy said loudly, laughing heartedly afterward.

"It's 'ho, ho, ho,' pal," Sirius whispered from behind him.

"It is?" Muddy whispered back. "Darn. I knew I'd confuse my gardening tools up."

"It's Santa!" Cinders cheered, hopping onto her feet and eying "Santa" with a mixture of happiness and confusion. "What are you doing here, Santa?"

Muddy rubbed his belly. "Well, I'm here to visit you, Cinders! You've been a good Pokémon this year, haven't you?"

"I have, Santa, I have." Cinders nodded, hopping back and forth between her four feet. "Do you think Muddy will believe in you now?"

Muddy hesitated before answering. "Why yes, Cinders. I'm sure he'll believe now."

"Do I get my presents now, Santa?"

Flare interrupted before Muddy could say anything. "You know, Cinders, you're going to have to go to bed and wait like all the other good little Pokémon. Then you can open your gifts tomorrow."

Cinders hopped onto the floor and nuzzled Muddy's leg. "I'll go to bed right away!" And with that, the Vulpix scurried into the other room.

Muddy sighed and pulled off his beard, flopping onto the couch, watching Brendan dance with a chair. "So think I convinced her that Santa is real?"

"I think so, Muddy," Flare replied, smiling, sitting next to him and patting him on the shoulder. "I think so. And you know what? I think you believe in Santa still too."

"Maybe. But I won't get anything."

Sirius sat down on the floor. "But Muddy. Isn't the spirit and the togetherness of family a gift in itself?"

Muddy blinked twice before kicking the Mightyena in the head. "Don't you dare say anything that lame again, Cinnamon Buns."

* * *

Muddy: What a lame ending.

Be quiet! Anyways, I'm working on the next chapter, so it should be out relatively soon. So look out!

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/22/09**


	51. Brendan and Wally: Together?

You know, I love that in the very first chapter, I write "it's grammar" when I said what I was editing (which I still haven't done lol) when it should be a regular "its." Whatever. I'm not sure guys really do want Brendan and May romance, or if you just want to kill me instead in one of my polls.

Muddy: Probably the latter.

Ahaha. Anyway, if you haven't voted in my poll, GO VOTE. Just go to my profile and it's at the top and blah blah blah.

Muddy: That's some good ole' direction there, Bree.

I know, right? Where's my disclaimer at?

**Disclaimer**: Pokémon and other related characters do not belong to the author, nor will she ever own them because she's a poor, poor, poor girl with no monies except to buy the occasional Juice It Up smoothie.

Yum, smoothies. And of course chapter 26 is out, silly person! It's called Thoughts.

Muddy: Thoughts about what?

That's the chapter title.

Muddy: How silly. You and your stupid chapter titles.

I know. I'm sure chapter 26 was called something else if I hadn't spruced up the fic. I hope no one remembers them now. Was anyone still around remember what the fic was first called?

Muddy: You probably posted it somewhere in an author note. First one to find it gets a huggle!

Oh well. I love being sick. I can stumble around like I have an inner ear problem. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Brendan and Wally: Together?**

**

* * *

**

It was cold.

And wet.

And dark.

Where was she? And how did she get there?

With her arms bound behind her back with rope, May struggled to get up onto her knees, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the lighting. When her eyes finally came into focus, she noticed the rancid smell of sewer water and the annoying sound of dripping water into a half full bucket. Groaning because of her aching back and legs, May finally managed to hop onto her feet, almost falling over since both her feet were asleep. She leaned against a nearby wall, breathing heavily like she just ran a marathon. Looking up, she noticed the sunlight glaring down at her through the caged window.

Licking her dry lips, she sighed before mumbling to herself, "Now what, May? How are you going to get out of this one?"

Everything that happened was a blur. She remembered being with Brendan and Wally. Then there was nothing. This obviously had to do with Team Aqua, but why would they do it to her? Did they figure out that she really wasn't part of the team? And if so, who knew and ratted her out? There wasn't time to think about that though. The most important thing was to get out of her cell.

Pushing herself up and off the wall, May looked down at her tightly bound ankles, wondering how in the world she was going to get them off. Patting her belt, she noticed that her Pokéballs were missing. She started to panic until she snapped her fingers (or tried to with her wrists bound together). Pulling a chain from underneath her shirt, May managed to un-clip the Pokéball that hung from the bottom of it. The ball slipped in between her fingers and rolled underneath a nearby table before opening, a dull thud sounding throughout the empty room.

"Ow ..." muttered Flare, crawling underneath the table and standing up, rubbing her head.

"It's not my fault you're tall," May replied back, smiling innocently. "And I told you keeping a Pokémon separate from the others was a good idea. It was good that it was your turn to hang from the chain."

"Ugh. Where are we anyway?"

"I'd tell you if I knew the answer myself. Somewhere wet? Anyway, mind taking these off?"

Flare stared at May dully before lifting one claw and snapping the ropes off her wrist, bending over and doing the same to the ones around her ankles. May gratefully stretched her arms and legs in delight before paying attention to her Blaziken.

"Now that that's over with, how do we get out? And where do you think the rest of the Pokémon are?"

"Well," Flare replied, walking back and forth before staring outside the window, "both can be answered with the same response: The window." She pointed at it where a bird was perched on the sill, his head to the side as he looked inside the cell curiously.

"Tai!" May exclaimed in surprise and glee. She pushed the table closer to the table and stood on it, gripping the caged window. "Where'd you guys get out? Where are we? What's going on?"

"One question at a time, May," the Swellow replied, pecking at the bars. He turned his head and shouted downward. "I found them, guys!"

"So everyone else is safe?" May asked worriedly.

"Please. Escaping Team Aqua was a breeze."

"So it was Team Aqua. I should have known better than to trust them."

"Yes you should," muttered Flare. "Now we have to pull ourselves out of this. But how?"

Tai pecked at the bars again. "You can try kicking them down, but you'll need to jump pretty high plus have enough speed to knock them down. I don't think you can do both at the same time."

"Not unless we weaken the bars with fire, in which case I can both weaken and kick it down without gaining much speed," Flare replied, crossing her arms and smirking.

"Aren't you such a big shot?" Tai rolled his eyes. "Forget where you are? That entire cavern is dripping with water. Even if you could shoot out fire, it probably wouldn't be hot enough to weaken the bars."

"If that's true, then the bars must be corroding due to the sea water," Flare replied hastily. "The bars should be weak already and my already 'weak' fire should contribute to it."

"Well, uh. Fine, you win."

Flare smirked again and fired up her claws. "Thought so." Jumping onto the table, Flare reeled back her arm and punched cleanly through the bars, causing them to fly back, taking Tai down with it. Tai squealed and flapped his wings rapidly to regain flight.

"Jerk."

"Proud of it." The Blaziken smiled and picked up May by the waist, looking outside the window. A huge gust of salty wind blew back at her which she promptly squinted at. "Well, you could have told us we were in a lighthouse and couldn't climb down even if we did break the bars."

"Well, yeah," Tai said. "But making you feel all high and mighty and then crashing you down seemed much more satisfying."

May managed to poke her head up above the window only to gulp at the long drop down. She then looked at Tai and smiled, pulling herself up to she could sit inside the window after returning Flare to her Pokéball. "You're a flying Pokémon, aren't you?"

Tai nodded, unsure and confused about what May was thinking. "Y-yes?"

"Well ..." May's eyes went back and forth in her head. "Get ready."

"Ready? Ready for wha –"

Tai didn't have time to finish his sentence as May jumped on top of him, grabbing onto his legs. With both of them screaming, one out of sheer terror and the other squealing to go faster, Tai rapidly flapped his wings but didn't manage to stay afloat. Although Tai's resistance was slowing them down, the two were falling toward the smooth, glossy water fast.

Meanwhile, down below, the rest of May's Pokémon were lounging near the water's edge. Hydro, who was bathing himself, looked up when he heard a high pitched whistle, much like the ones heard in cartoons when characters fall off cliffs. Concerned for their safety, Hydro shot up a blast of water. The water engulfed them, and Hydro slowly brought them down to the lake.

"Latios, get this crazy girl off me!" Tai screeched, flapping his wings wildly in the water. Hydro picked up May, who was giggling, by the collar of her shirt with his teeth and Tai flew up, shaking the water off his feathers. "For Latios's sake! Can't you warn a Pokémon if you're just going to attack them like that? Latios forbid!"

"Wow, three Latioses," Thunderbolt muttered from the white rock he was sunbathing on. "You surely are going to hell, Tai."

"Isn't that what wild Pokémon do? I mean, attack randomly?" Skittles asked innocently, licking her paw from the soft patch of green grass she sat upon.

Tai let out a horrible screech again before perching and settling in a nearby tree branch with Cherry, disgruntled.

"Oh, stop being a brat," May said, laughing. She took off her bandanna and wrung the water out of it before tying it around her head again. Enlarging Flare's Pokéball, Flare threw it up in the air, and Flare burst out, landing gracefully on a rock next to T.B. Smoothing her feathers with her claws, Flare glanced around and noticed the rest of her team looking at her.

"So uh. What'd I miss?"

"A lot," Thunderbolt sighed, resting his head on his paws. "Well, for starters, we're in Sootopolis-"

"Sootopolis!" May exclaimed, pausing from brushing her wet hair. "The only way you can get here is with a flying type, which obviously I don't have –"

"Be quiet!" Tai screeched, hiding his head under his wing.

"– And using the Dive HM. But to use that, you need the Mind Badge which is the badge given at Mossdeep plus the actual Hidden Machine. So how did we get here?"

"Submarine," T.B. replied. "The details are pretty fuzzy for us as well, but from what we've heard, we think Archie and some of his goons kidnapped you, brought you along in the sub and threw you in one of the lighthouse rooms before taking us away. They're up to something outside the borders of this city. Tai was on his way to find them when he saw you and Flare in the lighthouse, I figure."

May stood up and gazed at the mountains, their peaks alight in a white brilliance. Playing with her hair nervously, she turned toward her Pokémon again. "Goodness, the mountains are unbearable to look at. What do you think they're up to?"

Skittles looked up from her cleaning. "From what I've heard from the other Pokémon last night in the captivity center – they're fine, by the way – Archie and his admins are headed toward a cavern in the middle of the ocean not too far from here. Kyogre is supposedly rumored to be at rest there. One of them told me that Team Magma is pulling or had pulled a similar plot. Kind of funny that Brendan doesn't seem to know anything about it."

"Brendan!" May unzipped her backpack hurriedly, pulling out Pokéballs and old Pokéblocks before finding her PokéNav at the bottom. She yelped as the PokéNav slipped in between her fingers and fell into the lake, falling lazily toward the bottom

"Ooh, bummer ..." said Hydro as he watched the PokéNav float to the bottom of the lake.

May looked at her PokéNav and her Gyarados repeatedly, paranoid.

"Oh fine, I'll get it." And with that, Hydro dove gracefully underwater, his tail flicking water toward the Pokémon on the shore. He managed to swim underneath the PokéNav and swiftly, he swam up, pushing the PokéNav up and out of the water. May promptly caught it and after shaking the water out, dialed Brendan's PokéNav number.

* * *

Meanwhile, Brendan and Wally were staring aghast at the television set in the room in the Pokémon Center, mouths open.

"This isn't a regular heat wave today in Lilycove, or really, the entire eastern half of the Hoenn Region. No, it's all part of Team Magma's idea – plot really – to create more land," said the news reporter on the television, who was shielding her eyes with her free hand, the other one gripping her microphone tightly. She trod quickly through the tall grass outside the city of Lilycove, the camera quick to follow. "If you haven't notice though, this sudden change in weather has had a negative effect on the Pokémon." The camera quickly panned over the scenery where Pokémon were flat on their bellies near the water's edge, their tongues out and beads of sweat running down their forehead. "Please take precaution in taking your Pokémon outside, especially if they're of the water or ice type variety. Back to you in the studio."

"Thank you, Amy," said the news anchor back in the studio. "We've just got footage of Maxie, the leader of Team Magma, fleeing Mt. Chimney. He didn't say anything to us other than, 'It all went wrong.' What do you think he means by –"

Brendan turned off the television and flopped back on his bed, sighing. "So, he was finally able to do it. He finally managed to eff up the world."

Wally looked outside the window, concerned, while absentmindedly petted his Delcatty, who purred instantly. "He awoke Groudon. But how?"

The white-haired trainer sat back up and stared outside and the glaring heat, squinting at it. He then snapped his fingers. "Back at Mt. Pyre, both Team Aqua and Team Magma were trying to get something up at the top. I know that Team Aqua got something up there. Maybe Team Magma did too."

Wally opened his backpack and pulled out a Pokémon Handbook. "Mt. Pyre huh?" He licked his fingers and flipped through the pages quickly. "Ah, here. Mt. Pyre. Hmm ... Place to lay Pokémon to rest, blah, blah – oh! At the top are two orbs, the red and blue orb. They sort of ... balance the world? Something like that."

"So, each orb sort of represents Groudon and Kyogre?"

"Something like that. I suppose Team Magma used the red orb to awaken Groudon. Groudon is protector of the land – lord of the land if you literally translate his name. So he must be causing the sudden heat wave. I guess it is the vice versa with the blue orb. This one activates and awakens Kyogre, thus causing the weather to be stormy."

"So in order to maintain the balance in the weather, we have to deactivate the red orb by putting Groudon back to rest? How does one go about that?"

"Beating it?" Wally said jokingly. "Hell if I know. But on a more serious note, we know that Team Aqua has the blue orb. We have to stop him from using it so the weather doesn't get even more screwy. Imagine battling heat and a flood at the same time. What do you exactly wear for that type of weather?"

Brendan wiped the back of his neck for sweat, wiping the residue on his pants. Making a slight disgusted face at all the sweat, he asked, "So, Team Aqua thinks that Kyogre is in Sootopolis?"

"Not at Sootopolis but near it," Wally answered, flipping forward through his book. "Sootopolis has the Cave of Origin. Unlike Mt. Pyre, this cave is rumored to be where life begins. Maybe this is where the orbs were formed or where the battle between Kyogre and Groudon took place and formed the entire region of Hoenn."

"I thought that was a fairy tale."

"Some fairy tales are based loosely off true stories or folk tales."

"So mice sewed together a dress for a girl and some witch transformed a pumpkin into a carriage?"

"I said some, not all. I figure Archie knows about this too and knows that since Groudon is now awaken, Kyogre will want to fight him again as soon as he's awaken. What better place than where it started?"

Brendan, about to respond, was interrupted by a buzzing around his belt. Picking up his Pokénav and flipping the screen open, he beamed down at the smiling face of his companion. "May! You're okay!"

Wally rushed next to Brendan, wide-eyed. "May! It's great to see you!"

"Hi guys!" she said delightfully. "I'm in ... uh-"

"Sootopolis," the boys answered at the same time.

"Yeah! How did you guys know?"

"Those grunts back at the Team Aqua hideout blurted it out," Brendan responded. "Oh, May. You're okay?"

"Of course. My Pokémon managed to escape and save me. But what's going on? How come I'm here and you two aren't?"

Brendan hesitated before answering. "Team Aqua figured out that you betrayed them somehow, May. Not too sure how though. Anyway, I guess when we were battling, they knocked you out and took you there. They probably knew that you have no way in or out of the city since you can't fly or dive, so that way you can't interrupt their plan."

"Plan?" May asked curiously. "What plan?"

Thus went the long and tedious bit of information that Brendan learned from Wally. When Brendan finished, May looked concerned.

"What do we do?"

"Wally and I thought about it. We're going to team up and battle Tate and Liza for the Mind Badge. Then I'll teach Muddy dive and we'll come rescue you straight away."

"Oh, there's no time for that," May replied hastily. "You guys have to get that badge today and you have to find Archie and stop him."

"But ... but I miss you?"

May laughed. "You liar. I'm sure you're going to appreciate the time off from me now that you know I'm safe. Besides, I'll learn more about this Cave of Origin you guys are talking about. I'll meet with some of the locals. Anyway, you two go get that badge! Good luck!" And with that, she hung up the Pokénav.

Brendan touched the screen, which was now back on the Pokénav's menu. "But I do miss you."

Wally looked at Brendan, smirking.

"Whaaaat?" Brendan asked, bewildered.

"You like her."

"Gah! Do not!"

"Psh. After how long you two been traveling together, it would surprise me if you didn't. She's, like, part of you, man."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I don't know. It sounded deep though, didn't it? Anyway, how come you didn't tell her it was me that told Archie she betrayed Team Aqua?"

"Why? Should I?" Brendan asked, clipping his Pokénav back on his belt. "She's safe, and why ruin a perfectly good relationship, especially for the reason why you turned her in?"

"I guess. I still owe her though. But anyway –" Wally stood up, returned Delcatty to her Pokéball, and stretched his arms, "– we better do what the lady says and get that Mind Badge. Are you ready?"

"I guess," Brendan replied, standing up as well and flopping his backpack over his shoulder. "Tate and Liza use the Psychic Pokémon Solrock and Lunatone."

"Part rock and psychic, huh?" Wally asked as the two left the room and then the Pokémon Center entirely where the hot heat engulfed them like a blanket. "I'm not sure who to use. Who are you planning to use? Muddy? Sirius?"

"Muddy would probably be better attack wise, but none of the psychic attacks would faze Sirius. But let's see. Magneton would probably be a bad choice."

"Well. Yeah. Delcatty wouldn't do much damage. With the rock attacks, Altaria wouldn't do much good. Roselia? Grass is good against rock."

"But Solrock probably has fire type moves."

"Ugh. Hmm. All I have is Gardevoir and her attacks won't do much damage against another psychic. You remember that battle with Cy."

"Yeah ..." Brendan muttered, rubbing his chin. He then snapped his fingers. "But who says her defensive tactics won't work? If I take the offensive with Muddy and you take the defensive, then we'll be unstoppable!"

"You know, that actual could work." Wally smiled at Brendan as he pushed open the clear glass doors. His smile immediately faded away as the design of the gym. "Uh ..."

Brendan walked further into the gym and bent over a nearby place mat with an arrow pointing north. "I dare you to touch it."

"You touch it!"

"No, it might have cooties!" Brendan squealed. "You know how many people could have stood on this mat?"

"What a sissy." Wally rolled his eyes.

"I am not a sissy!" Brendan whined.

Wally walked behind Brendan and pushed him forward with his foot. Brendan, landing on his stomach with a flop and screaming, whizzed forward and crashed head first into a statue. Mouth opened, Wally shouted, "That was neat! Do it again!"

"Ow ..." mumbled Brendan, sitting up and rubbing his head. "That was not cool!"

"Hmph. It can't be that hard." Wally stepped calmly on the mat but lost his balance, falling on top of the already complaining Brendan. "This is going to take awhile if we have to use these stupid place mats to get anywhere." Standing up, he looked around. "Ah, I see. We have to get to those portals."

"Yeah that will take forever," agreed Brendan, pushing himself up. "Unless we step over the mats." And with that, Brendan took a mighty step across another place mat, landing gracefully on the other side.

"It worked!" Wally cheered. "You're a genius!"

Brendan smirked, popping his collar. "Yeah, I know."

After minutes of mat hopping and portal jumping, Brendan and Wally finally managed to make it to the final room where the two gym leaders, Tate and Liza, were waiting. Kind of.

"Just remember, Tate. _I'm_ the older one," one of the twins said smugly, pointing to herself.

Tate snorted in response, pouting. "Who cares!"

"It makes a load of difference, being a minute older. It means I'm wiser, more experienced, a better trainer –"

"Blah, blah, blah," interrupted Tate.

"– And much, much more _mature_," finished Liza, putting stress on the final word and smiling. "And that's that!"

"So these are the Mossdeep gym leaders?" Wally asked, eyeing the two trainers weirdly. "They sure don't act like it."

"I think the smug looking one is the girl, Liza, and the pouting one is Tate."

"Wait, what? I thought they were both girls!"

"No, one's a girl and the other's a boy. For all this time you thought they were both girls?"

"Well ..." Wally looked down, brushing the ball of his foot around the ground, blushing. "I mean, Tate isn't a normal boy name and they dress the same and like – ugh, forget it!" He pointed at the two gym leaders. "Tate and Liza! We challenge you to a Pokémon double battle!"

The two twins immediately stopped fighting and looked at their two newcomers, both with confident grins on their face.

"Well, welcome-" said one twin.

"-to the-"

"-Mossdeep-"

"-gym! I'm Liza-"

"-and I'm Tate!"

Wally and Brendan looked at each other, confused.

"Are we suppose to talk like that?" whispered Wally.

"I don't know," Brendan whispered back. "Maybe we should just in case."

"Neat!" started Wally. "I'm Wally!"

Brendan was picking the dirt out of his nails until Wally nudged him. "Oh, and I'm Brendan! We would like-"

"-to challenge-"

"-um ... you?"

"Because we would like to obtain the Mind-"

"Okay, you know what? You're taking all the words!" Brendan said, pointing at Wally. "That's not fair!"

"Because you don't know when to talk!"

"You gave me like ... two chances to talk! Like that's fair."

"It's plenty fair! You paused for like five seconds to say one word!"

"Haven't you heard of three strikes and you're out? Calling me out on the second. For shame."

Liza and Tate giggled at the same time.

"Well this battle-" said Liza.

"-should be-" said Tate.

"-a piece-"

"-of cake if those two-"

"-can't even talk without-"

"-fighting! This gym battle will be a-"

"-two-on-two battle, each trainer-"

"-using one Pokémon each!"

"I will be using Solrock-"

"-and I, Lunatone! Release your-"

"-Pokémon when you're ready!"

"Ugh sorry?" Brendan replied weakly. "I got confused and hungry after one of you two said 'cake'."

"Oh, just release your Pokémon," Wally muttered, enlarging a Pokéball. He threw it toward the center of the battlefield, the colors blurring together until the tall, elegant form of Gardevoir appeared in a blast of white light.

Brendan pulled out Muddy's Pokéball. "Oh. Right! Let's go, Muddy!" Like Wally, Brendan threw the ball toward the battlefield and Muddy appeared as soon as the ball his the floor, cracking his back.

Tate and Liza did the same, throwing their balls simultaneously toward the battlefield, both balls opening at the same time. From one ball levitated a huge, yellow, crescent-shaped rock Pokémon, with big red eyes. Next to it was a rock with half open eyes that looked like the sun, its body round but sharp, dagger-like points coming out of it.

"Okay, Muddy, let's start things off with Muddy Water!" Brendan shouted.

Muddy nodded, his bright orange eyes glowing as he threw his arm forward, the earth behind him cracking. Steam rose from the crack before exploding into a gigantic wave of dirty brown water. The wave, at a rapid rate, sped toward the two meteorite Pokémon.

"Solrock, use Cosmic Power!" yelled Liza.

"You too, Lunatone!" added Tate.

The two Pokémon spun around together clockwise in a weird sort of dance, yellow energy crackling from their bodies. The dirty water engulfed them, but when the attack ended, the two seemed unharmed.

"It didn't even faze them," Brendan muttered, scratching his head.

"Cosmic Power boosts a Pokémon special defense," Wally replied, concerned. "The attack did some damage, but not as powerful as we would have wanted. This might be harder than we thought."

"Then we'll just go for the physical," Brendan replied confidently. "Try a Take Down on the Solrock!"

Muddy, fists closed, charged toward the Solrock, lowering his head. Without skipping a heartbeat, the Lunatone stepped in and shot out several powerful blasts of psychic energy that knocked the Swampert off his feet and skidding back toward Brendan and Wally's half of the battlefield.

"Funny ..." Wally muttered, rubbing his chin.

"What is?" Brendan asked weakly, watching his Pokémon regain his stature.

"Lunatone stepped in and used Psychic as a defensive barrier."

"So?"

"Just thinking."

"Solrock, Sunny Day!"

Solrock said its name in a monotonous tone, spinning around a few times, the sunlight that poured through the glass ceiling intensifying.

"Great because it's not hot enough already," Brendan muttered, shielding his eyes. "Solrock will get more powerful while Muddy's special attacks will get dealt a serious blow if he attacks from long range."

"And getting up close will probably result in the same thing when Muddy tried using Take Down," Wally added in. "Unless ... Gardevoir, Future Sight!"

"Lunatone, you do the same!" Tate chimed in.

Both the Gardevoir and the Lunatone closed their eyes in a meditative state, energy radiating from their bodies before fading away a few seconds later.

"Thought so," Wally said, smirking.

"Ugh, do you mind tuning me into your radio station?" Brendan asked, annoyed.

"Don't worry about it," Wally replied. "I'll think, you fight."

"Are you calling me a dummy?"

"Well, I wouldn't have stated it so rudely. Use another Take Down on Solrock again though."

"Ugh, fine." Brendan slapped his forehead before directing his attention toward his equally confused-looking Swampert. "Let's try this again! Take Down on the Solrock again, Muddy!"

Muddy, tramping the ground like a horse and snorting, charged toward the Solrock, head bowed down. Like Wally predicted, the Lunatone stepped in front of the Solrock and was about to use another Psychic attack when the green-haired trainer shouted, "Imprison, Gardevoir!"

Gardevoir clasped her hands and closed her eyes before opening them sharply, her eyes a pulsing red. The same red glow that was in Gardevoir's eyes surrounded all three Pokémon, but only Lunatone seemed to be affected by it, and its psychic energy seemed to fizzle out like a candle. Muddy collided with both the Lunatone and the Solrock, sending them flying into the wall behind Tate and Liza.

"It worked!" Wally cheered as Muddy jumped back to their side of the battlefield.

"What did?" Brendan asked, confused, scratching his head.

"Imprison," Wally answered simply. "It's a move that prevents an opponent from using moves that the user knows. Lunatone seems to only have psychic-only attacks like Gardevoir, so he use that as a defense whenever Muddy, who's attacks would actually deal some damage unlike Gardevoir's, came charging. But since he really can't do anything, he's basically a floating paperweight."

"You thought of all that?"

"Well, if you can't rely on your physical strength, you've got to rely on your mental strength."

"Great, but what if he does have attacks that Gardevoir doesn't have?"

"I kind of doubt it. Liza is more controlling, so she seems to take more of the offensive while relying on Tate's Lunatone to take the blows or retali –"

"Solrock, Solarbeam!"

Solrock's eyes glowed a piercing white before bright beams shot out of them, gaining energy as they rushed toward the two vulnerable Pokémon on the other side of the battlefield.

"Hurry, Muddy! Protect!" Brendan shouted, wincing like the attack was going to hit him instead.

Muddy jumped in front of Gardevoir and conjured a translucent yellow barrier. The Solarbeam bounced off the shield and flew upward, absorbing into the glass ceiling.

"Ooh, they're finally starting to take it seriously," Brendan said, smiling smugly. "That's fine. Bring it on!"

"Solrock, Fire Spin! Let's go!" shouted Liza as Tate tugged nervously at his robes.

Solrock spun around rapidly, conjuring up a fire tornado that engulfed the Gardevoir and Swampert. Both Pokémon starting coughing, breathing in thick and heavy smoke.

"Use Teleport to get out of there, Gardevoir!" Wally demanded, throwing a sleeve over his mouth to filter out the smoke.

"Perfect, Rock Slide, Lunatone!" Tate shouted eagerly.

As soon as Gardevoir reappeared outside the Fire Spin attack, huge rocks that were on the battlefield (and some torn out of the ground) were hurled towards her. The Embrace Pokémon did her best to dodge these rocks but finally lost balance, getting repeatedly hit in the head and body with a sick thud. The Gardevoir fell over for a quick minute, a heavy rock landing on her foot. While she managed to stand up, she was having trouble lifting the rock up, even with her psychic ability.

"Hang in there, Gardevoir! You're doing great!" Wally cheered.

"They separated us," Brendan grumbled. "Now – do you hear that?"

Wally paused, hearing a distinctive, high-pitched whizzing. "The Future Sight attack! I forgot about it!"

"Muddy, Protect again!" Brendan shouted hoarsely.

Muddy, still within in the pit of fire, created another barrier to surround himself in. The Future Sight attack, in a form of bright orange bolts of energy bounced off the shield and redirected themselves toward the Solrock and Lunatone. The two took the attack head on, and although they looked dazed, it didn't seem to affect them that much.

"Lovely," smirked Liza. "Okay Solrock, Solarbeam on the Swampert again!"

Solrock's eyes glowed the same white as it did previously before shooting the attacking at the still target that was Muddy. Muddy, unable to move or dodge the attack because of the Fire Spin, tried to conjure up another protect shield but was too tired after two consecutive shields. He took the attack right at the belly and was immediately shot out of the fire tornado, skidding along his back and only stopping because his head hit the wall. Twitching on the floor, the Swampert managed to flop onto his stomach, trying to push himself up, breathing heavily.

"Oh, I see," Wally muttered. "Liza used Fire Wave, knowing that it would separate us since Gardevoir could teleport out of there while Muddy couldn't. Tate then used Rock Slide to trap Gardevoir so she couldn't help Muddy. Liza remembered the Future Sight attack I used earlier and predicted that you would use Protect to protect Muddy, and then used a Solarbeam, knowing that Muddy couldn't dodge or protect himself due to the fire wave and a consecutive Protect defense."

"No crap!" Brendan slapped his forehead again, running his hand down his face. "We're screwed unless we pull a miracle."

"For every move we do, they've got a way to retaliate," Wally said as Muddy slowly walked toward the battlefield a weird, blue energy surrounding him, Gardevoir finally managing to free herself from the rocks. "So we've got to use that against them. What do we know so far?"

"Whenever Muddy charges towards them, Lunatone used Psychic to blast them back. But Imprison took care of that."

"So instead, Solrock will retaliate with Solarbeam. Whenever Muddy uses a special attack like Muddy Water –"

"– they both use Cosmic Power to raise their defense. Lunatone is virtually useless except in their Rock Slide and Fire Wave combination, which was used to separate us and attack us individually."

"So in order to win this –"

"– we've got to throw them off. But I'm worried about Solrock's Solarbeam. Muddy can't take another one of those attacks. I can already tell he's low on health since his Torrent ability is showing."

"Then that'll just work to our advantage. I know this will work, Brendan. And with Gardevoir behind Muddy, there's no way he can get hit."

"Let's do it," Brendan said, smirking. "Okay Muddy, charge toward Solrock!"

"Follow along, Gardevoir!" piped in Wally.

Muddy, gasping for air, smiled confidently like his trainer and charged toward the awaiting Solrock and Lunatone. Lunatone immediately stepped in, his eyes glowing, as rocks from the previous Rock Slide attack began to hover midair before zooming in toward the Swampert and Gardevoir. Gardevoir, looking behind her, teleported both her and Muddy, and the rocks, still flying across the battlefield, hit the Lunatone instead. Gardevoir and Muddy reappeared above Solrock and were falling toward them at a fast rate.

"Hurry, Solrock!" Liza yelled, pointing up. "Solarbeam!"

Solrock looked up, eyes glowing, and directed his beam of light toward the two. Muddy, quickly thinking, created a Protect shield, the beams of light reflecting off them in opposite directions. Muddy broke the shield and the two continued to fall.

"Muddy Water and then Take Down on the Solrock, Muddy!"

Muddy's eyes glowed like his first Muddy Water attack and a huge wave of water grew behind him and Gardevoir, crashing down hard on the dazed Lunatone and the Solrock. Gardevoir let go of Muddy at the last minute as Muddy broke through the water and landed hard on the Solrock, the collision kicking up pebbles and clouds of dust. When the dust finally cleared, Muddy was on two feet, tired and breathing heavily but still conscious. Solrock and Lunatone not so much.

"Ugh! See, Tate?" said Liza, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at her little brother. "It's your fault!"

"Is not!"

"Is too! It's because you're younger!"

Brendan and Wally quickly returned and thanked their Pokémon before heading over to the other side of the battlefield where the two siblings were still bickering.

"– and I'm taller too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Um, excuse me," interrupted Wally. "I'd hate to be a bother but –"

"Oh yes," said Liza, regaining posture and standing up straight. "Congratulations you two for –"

Tate just huffed and crossed his arms.

"At least complete the sentence!" shouted Liza, glaring angrily at her brother.

"No, jerk!" retorted Tate, pouting.

"Ugh, fine." Liza pulled out two heart-shaped badges out of her robes and handed each one to the boys. "This is the Mind Badge. With this badge, your Pokémon have the ability to use the HM move Dive outside of battle. And congratulations, and thank you again for a wonderful battle. And as for you –" She pointed as Tate.

"Let's go before it gets nuclear," Brendan muttered as the two walked backward slowly toward the portal.

* * *

"So I guess tomorrow we're going to have to go find Archie, right?" asked Wally, sipping on a juice box.

"Mhm," Brendan replied, gazing out toward the sea, the sunset's orange and yellow reflecting off the ocean's surface. "Ready?"

"Ready to kick his butt for what's he done to you, and me, and May, if that's what you mean."

Brendan let out a small laugh. "Yeah ..."

"Hey, Brendan?"

"What?"

"If you like May, it's okay with me."

"Too bad I don't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Wally."

"She's a nice girl, isn't she?"

"I'd really – yeah, she is."

"Any guy that gets her is a really lucky guy. Don't you think so, Brendan?"

"Wha – uh, sure, Wally."

And then the two boys sat in silence, one sitting happily and drinking a juice box and the other kicking an apple core in between his feet, thinking. He never really thought of May other than a friend more than twice. It felt like taboo thinking of May like that. Not that it mattered – it wasn't like May would like him like that.

Wait, did he want her to like him like that?

Brendan sighed. "Actually, Wally, I do think I –"

A huge eruption to the south and a sudden shower of cold rain interrupted the white-haired trainer.

* * *

That was ... long.

Lol.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/23/09**


	52. Clash of the Elements

I'm not going to promise you anything, but I will try to get this fic over with. It's been bugging me that I haven't finished even though I'm so close (then again, I still have the actual Elite 4 crud... ew).

Pardon the lame chapter title. I dunt think gud.

If you see Diamond or Pearl elements merging with this story, sorry!

* * *

**Clash of the Elements**

**

* * *

**

"Muddy, Dive!"

Brendan threw the Pokeball toward the ocean, and the ocean grabbed at the ball hungrily, engulfing it in salty water. A burst of white light shone through the water, and Muddy, legs flailing above the waves, appeared. Finally, a few seconds later, his head popped out, his eyes angrily glaring at Brendan.

"Why didn't you help me? I was drowning!" he cried, rubbing his eyes. "My head was stuck in the sand! I could have _died_!"

"Well ... you're a water Pokemon. I was pretty sure you could breathe underwater," Brendan replied while shuffling through his bag for an underwater breathing device, Wally doing the same. "Was my hypothesis wrong?"

"... I just wanted to be dramatic."

"I know, buddy."

Wally, throwing goggles over his eyes, the underwater breathing device gripped tightly in his hands, looked at Brendan bug-eyed. "And where are we going exactly? We have no clue where this explosion happened."

"Yes we do." Brendan snapped his own pair of goggles on. "It happened in the ocean."

"The ocean is quite big."

"Not really. It happened somewhere in the middle of the ocean."

"... Again, the middle of the ocean is quite big."

Brendan shrugged before pointing toward the ocean. "See, it's raining."

"And?"

"Well, wherever the rain is the strongest is probably where the explosion happened."

"What the hell are you talking about, Brendan?" Wally slapped his forehead and stared at Brendan dully. "Do you not get how rain works? There is no fairy Pokemon that waves its wand and makes it rain. Likewise, an explosion doesn't make it rain either. So therefore ... you know what, I have no idea where I'm going with this, but what you said was just stupid."

"Says you," Brendan snorted, climbing onto Muddy's backside. "At least I'm trying to give us a little bit of hope about where that explosion happened."

"So we're basing a plan of perhaps getting lost in the middle of the ocean forever on a whim?"

"You make it sound so bad like that. Hope sounds more heroic."

"Whatever, Brendan."

Wally, sighing, got behind Brendan on Muddy's back, and the Pokemon, flicking his tail around in the water, sped off like a jet, streamlining even through the tallest of waves. Gaining enough momentum, Muddy began to dive into the water, the boys barely clinging onto his back.

It was almost eerie how peaceful under the water was compared to the angry, churning waves above. Lanturns and Tentacool swam together in pools while the curious Luvdisc couple popped their heads out of the multi-colored coral below. A Mantine cried a triumph cry, circling around the Swampert and the two boys, promptly chasing a Remoraid playfully afterward.

Muddy dove deeper toward the sand, his tail kicking up dirt before it lazily drifted back down toward the bed. Dodging rocks and coral, Muddy stopped abruptly at the site of a cave entrance carved out of one the huge, rock walls.

"What is that?" Brendan asked through the breathing apparatus, his voice sounding lethargic. "Do you think that's where the explosion happened?"

"Maybe," Wally replied as he peered into the cave ahead. "Look at the sand and the crushed plants there. Something was there."

"Something big, by the looks of it, but it's gone now."

Brendan nodded at Wally and pointed up, indicating to his Pokemon to head toward the surface. With a swift flick of his tail, Muddy, oblivious to the fact that he had passengers, went straight up, the two boys almost falling off. Emerging, Muddy smiled triumphantly before being smacked upside the head by his trainer.

"Oh, my god," Muddy said, teary-eyed. "Why did you do that?"

Brendan ignored his Pokemon's fake tears and climbed onto the rock, Wally following suit. Observing his surroundings, he muttered, "See? It is raining harder here."

"That doesn't mean the explosion happened here!" Wally snapped back, shaking the dripping water from his sleeves. He winced as Wingull poop landed right in front of him. "Effin' birds."

"Oh, my. So bitter that you're wrong."

"I'm not wrong!"

Returning Muddy into his Pokeball, Brendan and Wally walked the strip of rock for signs of life. Up ahead, they noticed two very familiar faces ...

* * *

"May?"

"Yes, Skittles?"

"Are we going to die?"

"Uh ..."

May looked outside the foggy windows of the Pokemon Center, pressing her forehead against the cold glass.

"Yeah, I think there's a good chance, Skittles."

There was reason to panic: Two mighty titans, one of the land and one of the sea, were standing in the now churning waters of the Sootopolis lake. The one to the right was bright red with beady, yellow eyes. Snapping his sharp, white claws and pounding his thick, spiked tail into the water, Groudon beat his arms into his chest threateningly, glaring at the Pokemon in front of him. Meanwhile, not threatened, Kyogre pointed his head up toward the mighty Groudon, the red marks against its slippery, blue skin glowing eerily. He let out a powerful roar from his mouth, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. Neither of the Pokemon have done any damage to each other nor to the city, but it seemed like they were dangerously close.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Flare asked worriedly, gazing outside the window as well, squinting her eyes as another wave of heat poured through the glass. "They'll wipe us all out if we don't."

"And what do you suggest, Flare?" Tai asked, rolling his eyes. "We're dots to them; we won't do any damage."

"He's right," May replied, sighing, watching as clouds rolled by the sun and another downpour of rain came. "Even if all the trainers in this city teamed up, we'd probably be able to only take down one, but not two. And that's some high hopes I have there."

"There's got to be something though ..." Flare murmured. "We got to at least evacuate or find Brendan or –"

Flare was interrupted as the entire building shook, huge boulders of white rock crumbling down. Groudon let another roar as golden specs formed inside his mouth. The specs formed into a ball and the ball formed into a beam of golden light headed straight toward the Kyogre. The Kyogre barely dodged, retaliating with his own beam of ice that missed the Groudon's head by a hair.

"Oh, Latias, we're going to die!" Skittles cried, burying her face in between her face. "I'm not ready to die! I haven't had my first kiss or had a family or even won a contest or anything! Why didn't we leave with the others?"

"Baby, I'm here," said Thunderbolt, advancing on the Delcatty.

"Sod off!"

May returned her Pokemon into their balls except for Flare. Looking at her, she asked, "Do you know anything about Kyogre and Groudon and their first battle? Maybe if we repeat whatever happened back then, it'll stop them now."

"No," Flare muttered. She looked outside toward the Cave of Origin. "But I do know a place where can find out."

* * *

"I told you not to do it!" Maxie screeched, his voice heard even over the thunder. "You put the whole world into jeopardy!"

"Like you didn't!" Archie screamed back, disgusted with the leader of Team Magma. "If you didn't go with your little 'let's free Groudon so he can make more land' idea, the two legendaries of Hoenn wouldn't be at each other's throats!"

"Oh please! Freeing Kyogre wouldn't have helped! If I couldn't tame Groudon, what makes you think you could have tamed Kyogre?"

Brendan, fists clenched by his side, approached the two leaders, and muttered, "Now don't take all the credit, Maxie. You two both messed up the world. Feel proud."

Archie and Maxie stopped glaring at each other to glare at Brendan, angry and confused at the same time.

"It's the brat and the wimp," Archie murmured, shoving his pockets into his fist, spitting against the rock ground. "What are you doing here?"

"Just seeing what shenanigans you're up to," Brendan replied, smirking.

"Shenanigans?" Wally replied, looking at Brendan through the corner of his eye oddly.

"That's not important now; we both know that we've done something wrong," Maxie remarked, crossing his arms and scowling. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Nothing?" Brendan scoffed, appalled. "You mean, you had this grand plan to change the world but didn't have a back up plan just in case things went wrong? How stupid can you be? Well let me tell you, you're going to find a way to fix this, whether you like it or not, and when you're done, I'm going to make sure both of you are in jail for life. Especially you, Archie." He glared at the Team Aqua leader, remembering what he did to his Pokemon.

The sun peeked its head through the stormy gray clouds just before the shadow of a bird pokemon flew over head. All four of them looked up and saw the steely silver of a Pokemon dive down toward them, its body glittering against the sun's light.

"We'd love to, but that seems to be our sign to leave," Maxie remarked as both he and Archie took out small smoke balls. Before Brendan could react, they both threw them down, engulfing themselves in thick, heavy smoke. Desperate, the boy trainer ran into the smoke and grabbed abound wildly, trying to get a hold of them, but it was too late; they were gone.

"Brendan!" shouted a voice overhead.

The bird Pokemon that flew overhead landed gracefully next to Brendan, blowing the gray smoke away. It was a Skarmory, its silver wings flapping, its claws scratching the rock's surface. On its back was Steven, Brendan and May's friend they met back in Fortree City when they encountered Kecleon.

"Steven?" Brendan asked, confused, as Steven dismounted from his Skarmory and returned it back to its Pokeball. "What are you doing here?"

Wally ran up to Brendan and Steven as Steven replied, "I heard there was a disturbance with the resting place of Kyogre, so I had to come here straight away. Looks like I'm too late. Looks like both Team Aqua and Team Magma both awoke the legendaries for their plan ... and failed."

Wally rubbed his chin. "Is that it then? Is that what's causing this bizarre weather? But with both Kyogre and Groudon awake, that means –"

"I'm afraid so," Steven interrupted grimly. "Kyogre and Groudon are most likely at Sootopolis, home of the Cave of Origin where they first fought and where Hoenn was formed. And frankly, there's no way to stop it except ..."

"Except what?" Brendan said as Steven lost his trail of thought.

"Except for –"

* * *

May ran her fingertips across the carved pictures and wording inside the walls of the cave, squinting her eyes in confusion. She pulled her flashlight away a bit, casting what little light she had across the wall. Turning around toward Flare, who was guarding the entrance, she asked, "What is a ... Rayquaza?"

Flare eyed her sheepishly. "How would I know? I'm not your Pokedex."

"This ... Rayquaza thing was the ... thing that stopped Kyogre and Groudon from fighting the first time and put them into an eternal sleep before leaving. Do you think there's a chance he's here? Maybe we can reawaken him too so he can stop those two from killing us."

"You are correct, my dear," said a voice from the entrance of the cave. Lighting his face with a flashlight, a well-dressed man walked in and stood behind May, his blue coattails flapping behind him. He ran a hand through his peppered black and gray hair as May turned around, immediately blushing.

"It is true," he remarked. "Rayquaza was the one that brought peace to both Kyogre and Groudon before heading back into the ozone. Though, there is a chance that he's here in a place called the Sky Pillar. Have you heard of it?"

May continued to stare at the beautiful man, not blinking, a small bead of drool running out of her mouth. Flare rolled her eyes and snapped her claws before May awake, dazed. "What? Oh, no, but I'm sure I can find it. But I'm not sure if I can even get there without getting caught in between them –" She stopped short when the man handed her a Pokeball.

"This is my Kingdra," the charming man said, smiling. "He can safely and swiftly get you outside the border's of the city. He already know how to dive; you just need a Water Pokemon to move you out of here once you're past the border."

May took the ball in her gloved hand, running a finger across its glossy surface. "But where would Rayquaza reside? It'd take forever to search the entire region for him."

"It is rumored that he resides in only one place when he lands," the man muttered. "And it's not too far from here."

"Well, where?"

* * *

Wally, holding a map up, peered behind the piece of paper and nodded. "Yep," he said. "This is the Sky Pillar according to Steven. Rayquaza, hopefully, is resting here."

Looking up to take in the entire height of the pillar, Brendan gasped, the salty sea breeze playing with his bandanna. "This thing is huge! It'll take forever to climb this thing!"

"Well, we better start now then," replied Wally, walking up the sandy path toward the entrance, Brendan following behind closely.

Pushing open the rusty door with a loud creak, Wally darted his head left and right before stepping into the building, the worn-down floorboards below him groaning from his weight. The building smelled like dead fish and rusty metal. Water dropped from the ceiling above them, and the cry of the occasional Zubat pierced through the air, echoing off of the walls. Slanted rain poured through the broken windows, lightning penetrating the darkness of the building.

Brendan and Wally pulled out a flashlight from each of his backpack, turning them on and flicking them around. One of the lights landed on a nearby staircase, and they started to walk in that direction, sand crunching beneath their shoes. They treaded slowly and carefully across the floorboards of the second floor, flinching each time a floorboard bent down further than expected.

"Ugh, this is dangerous," Wally said, taking a minute to step on a floorboard that creaked louder than the rest. "We're better off flying through the outside and entering through a window there."

"Too bad we don't know if there are windows up there," Brendan replied as they climbed up the steps to the third floor, Wally behind him. "It won't take long anyway. I mean, we're already on the third –"

Brendan stopped short as he fell through a broken floorboard, taking Wally down with him. Quickly, Wally grabbed hold onto a board and Brendan grabbed hold of Wally's feet, and the two swung mid-air between the second and third floor. Wally's flashlight rolled off the floor and down toward the ground, the flashlight breaking on impact.

"Great!" Wally said sarcastically, blowing up his bangs, his arms trembling from all the weight he was carrying. "Just great! I'm going to die with a moron clinging to my legs and still a virgin."

"Too much information," Brendan muttered, attempting to unclip a Pokeball from his belt while still holding onto Wally's leg. He swung back on forth on Wally's leg to gain momentum to throw the ball onto the floor above him, causing Wally to shriek.

"Quit it! You're going to make me let go!"

"Then how the hell are we suppose to get back up without the help of some Pokemon?" Brendan shouted back, putting his Pokeball back in his belt. "You're obviously too weak to pull us both up."

Frowning, Wally didn't respond as he watched a nearby Corphish crawl by, clicking his claws. His green eyes narrowed nervously as the Corphish poked his hands with a claw curiously, the Corphish blinking its eyes a few times.

"Please, don't," Wally muttered under his breath, trying to wiggle his fingers away from the claws of the Corphish.

The green-haired trainers plea went unheard as the Corphish opened his claw and snapped down on Wally's right hand, causing him to lose his grip and shriek as both he and Brendan plunged toward the darkness below ...

...That is if someone didn't catch him beforehand. The creature pulled both Brendan, Wally, and the now freaked out Corphish who let go of Wally's hand scuttled away.

"Brendan! Wally!" May cried as Flare settled the two boy trainers on the floor. She ran toward them and hugged both tightly, tears swimming in her eyes.

"May?" both boys asked together in unison, confused.

"Why are you guys here?" she asked, letting both boys go. "You heard about Rayquaza and how Groudon and Kyogre are fighting in Sootopolis?"

"Yeah, Steven told us when we encountered Archie and Maxie," Brendan answered. "But how did you leave Sootopolis? I thought none of your Pokemon could dive."

"Oh, this dreamy man lent me his Pokemon to lead me outside the city," May said, her eyes starry as she imagined the man in her head. Flare, rolling her eyes, snapped her claws to get May out of her trance. "What? Oh yeah. He told me about Rayquaza as well."

"So ..." Brendan looked up toward the remaining floors, hiding his flushed cheeks, "who is this guy?"

May, flustered, glared at Brendan. "Why do you care?"

"I don't!" he replied hastily. "Just wondering who made you look all dreamy for a minute."

Wally stared at May for a minute, shaking, his fists at his sides. Finally, taking a deep breath, he went toward May and hugged her tight, holding back tears. "May," he gasped. "May, I'm so sorry for what happened. For what I did."

May awkwardly patted Wally on the back, looking at Brendan confused. "What did you do to me, Wally?" she asked curiously.

"Don't you know?" the green-haired trainer replied, letting go of May, wiping his eyes. "I –"

"He's so sorry that he's a doofus and that he smells like rotten eggs," Brendan quickly interrupted, pulling Wally next to him. "Don't bother telling her what you did," he hissed through Wally's ear.

"What? Why?" Wally whispered back.

"She doesn't know that you're the one that told Archie about her being a spy," the white-haired trainer replied. "As far as I know, you do owe her, but there's no need to rough up your relationship with her now. Not at this very moment anyway."

"Oh ... kay?" May said slowly, scratching her head.

"Yeah, I'm just ... weird," Wally muttered, pocketing his fists.

"Well, in that case –" May pointed up toward the top of the pillar, "– we better get a move on!"

* * *

It was quiet. Really quiet.

Brendan kicked a pebble across the smooth, stone surface of the top of the Sky Pillar. The pebble rattled and skipped across the surface, colliding with a boulder ahead. "There's nothing here," he said, disappointed.

The three trainers walked toward the center of the room, each one looking around, flicking their flashlights around.

"Oh, Rayquaza has to be here! He should at least know of the fight between Kyogre and Groudon by now!" May cried out desperately, her voice echoing in the room.

"C'mon," Wally urged, walking in front of the duo. "I can feel a presence in this room. He has to be up ahead."

Shrugging at each other, Brendan and May followed the green-haired trainer further into the room. Climbing up a set of elaborate stone stairs, the three trainers gasped at the sight in front of them. For there was Rayquaza, curled up, his head resting on his tail. Yellows and red marks went up and down his slender but thick, snake-like body, and through his open mouth was sharp, jagged teeth. His claws dug into the stone ground with ease as if he were having an uneasy dream. The two points on his head twitched like they were ears as the three trainers walked closed toward him.

"Wow ..." gasped Brendan. "He's so ... wow."

May gripped onto Brendan's shoulder, peering around his head. "Wake him up or something."

"What?" Brendan asked, absurd. "Girl, you so crazy."

"Don't call me 'girl,' you moron."

Wally, bending over to pick up a pebble, threw it up in the air a bit before catching it. "Well, here it goes," he said softly, throwing the pebble gently toward the sleeping beast. The pebble skipped along the ground for what seemed like eternity before it hit the side of the Rayquaza.

Startled, the Rayquaza snorted and lifted his head from his tail. He growled, lifting his body from the ground and levitated with ease, his tail brushing the ground, flicking up dirt. He then narrowed his cold, beady eyes at the three trainers, blowing air at them with his nose.

"Think he knows about Kyogre and Groudon?" May whispered.

"If he didn't before, I'm sure he knows by now," Brendan replied back quietly.

The Rayquaza circled the three trainers slowly, still eying them closely. A low growl sounded through the back of his throat as he stopped and look up toward the open entrance of the pillar, waving his tail at the three trainers.

"Does he ... does he want us to go with him?" Wally asked curiously.

"He didn't eat us, so maybe he needs us for now," Brendan replied. "I guess we should before he kills us. What harm is there in going with him?"

"Dying?"

"Ah, right. Dying isn't good."

And with that, Brendan, hesitantly, climbed up the back of Rayquaza, Wally following suit. The two boys then helped May climb up, and the three clung on for the lives as the mighty beast flew straight up into the gloomy, clouded sky. He passed through the clouds, water dripping off his body and onto the three trainers from doing so and into the bright sunlight before leveling his body out much to the trainers' relief. Letting out a mighty roar, the Rayquaza swerved back and forth, his body forming S's in the air.

After a few minutes of flying, the Rayquaza dove sharply back into the gray clouds, barely dodging a lightning bolt (which made all three trainers scream) and toward the white mountains that protected the city of Sootopolis. He went at a very fast speed; even though he way far above the water, the water rippled beneath him anyway. He headed straight toward the Groudon and Kyogre, letting out another tremendous roar that echoed against the white mountains. He then stopped abruptly above the Kyogre and Groudon, darting his head between the two of them like a tennis match.

The three trainers found their chance to get off the Rayquaza's back by sliding off their tail and into the shallow part of the lake. Knee deep in the water, the three waded their way toward the shore and tried to get away from the three fighting Pokemon as far as possible.

"Stay here," Brendan said, placing May behind a small boulder that could barely cover her body when crouched.

"Then where are you two going to hide?" she asked as the two boys as they pressed themselves against the wall of a building.

"Don't worry about us," Wally replied, worried. "Hopefully Rayquaza will just stop them without any fighting."

Wally was wrong.

Enraged by the sight of the Sky High Pokemon, Groudon and Kyogre teamed up and aimed two beams of red and blue toward Rayquaza, who dodged them both with ease and circled behind the two, a ball of golden energy forming in between his claws. He fired the ball at the two who split up. The ball hit the water and continued its destructive path toward a mountain, blowing a large portion of it into huge chunks.

Brendan then heard the scream of a woman nearby, her foot trapped beneath a rather large boulder. Looking at May and then the woman, Brendan ran toward her, a Pokeball gripped tightly in his hands. "Hang on!" he said, sprinting toward her before another blast took place.

All three roaring at the same time, Rayquaza dove toward Kyogre and bit him, hitting Groudon against the head with his heavy tail. Both Kyogre and Groudon were angry at this and fire another shot at Rayquaza who took the attack directly. Letting go of Kyogre, Rayquaza cried out, flying lopsided before regaining stability. He flew above the two Pokemon in the water again and formed another ball of golden energy, this time in his mouth. The energy snapped and crackled angrily in his mouth before he released it. Groudon barely side-stepped it and the ball headed straight toward some buildings ...

... and May.

Brendan, who hadn't come back from helping the woman who was trapped, hadn't noticed the ball of energy heading toward the petrified girl trainer. Wally did though.

He had to save her. Even if it meant his own life. He owed it to her for what he did.

Without thinking and without question, he pushed May out of the way and stood right in the line of fire.

* * *

Dun dun dun!

Muddy: I laik pai.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/23/09**


	53. The Fatal Kiss

**Disclaimer**: Breezy and her other nicknames do not own this thing called Pokémons.

Muddy: Amg, I are gonna do it! I'ma do it! (pokes Bree and giggles)

Wtf. Why?

Muddy: 'Cause I said. I think Kiss o' Death would have been a cooler chapter namer.

Pfft. Enjoy. For the record, I totally do not remember who Brendan resent to storage so he could use Silver, but I'm going to assume it's Thermo. Then again, I think it was Sapphire. Oh well, now it's Thermo. (looks around shiftily)

* * *

**The Fatal Kiss**

**

* * *

**

A Wingull outside chirped happily and awoke him from his slumber.

He murmured, ruffing his clean linen sheets, opening his eyes a bit. The sunlight shone cheerfully through the open windows, a light breeze, smelling of the ocean, blew through, fluttering the lace curtains. He heard hurried footsteps outside the door and the beeping of machines around him. He felt numb and his head was pounding. Unable to take the pain, he sat up, pressed a hand against his forehead, and immediately regretted his decision as a piercing pain, like he got stabbed, shot through his stomach.

Cussing, he finally opened his eyes wider and looked up only to see a teary-eyed May in a chair a few feet away, her hands clasped together against her chest.

"May?" Wally asked weakly, still pressing a hand against his head. "Wha ... where am I?"

"Wally, you're awake! I thought you never would!" May cried, jumping from her chair and hugging the poor boy.

Wally tried to ignore the pain in his stomach that May caused from accidentally hitting her elbow against it. "I ... how come I'm here?"

May reluctantly let go of Wally before pulling her chair up closer to his bed. She sat down and wiped her eyes before reaching for Wally's hand and holding onto it, gripping it tightly. "You're in the Sootopolis Hospital," she finally answered, more tears forming in her eyes. "You've been unconscious for three days now."

Memories started to flood Wally's mind, ending with the moment he pushed May out of the way of Rayquaza's attack. Eyes widening, he opened his mouth, but May started to answer for him.

"After you pushed me out of the way," May began, "Rayquaza launched another attack at Kyogre and Groudon which hit them directly. Then all of a sudden, Rayquaza raised his head and launched a white beam from his mouth. It pierced through the clouds, and the clouds departed. Kyogre then went underwater and Groudon went over the mountains to who knows where. Rayquaza then took off, probably back to fly above the ozone. That's pretty much it in a nutshell."

"And the orbs?" Wally asked.

"The elders back at Mount Pyre said they found both the Red and Blue Orbs back at their rightful places. They think Kyogre and Groudon returned them somehow before leaving to their resting spots."

"If the orbs are back at Mount Pyre," said Wally, "then what happened to Archie and Maxie?"

* * *

"Muddy, I am loving every moment of this," said Brendan cheerfully, throwing popcorn into his mouth.

Brendan and Muddy sat on the couch of the hospital, both of their heads craned up toward the television mounted on the wall. On the television was breaking news. The camera was shaky as the reporter and the cameraman tried to keep up with the police and the two suspects they arrested. Eventually the camera managed to breakthrough the crowd to take a shot of the two suspects being arrested. Looking both disheveled and dirty were Maxie and Archie, their hands handcuffed from behind as they were being ushered to a nearby police car. The police officer pushed down on their heads so they would enter the car and shut it with a satisfying slam before the police car, its lights flashing, took off.

"Again, breaking story here!" said the reporter into a microphone, looking into the camera after the police car was out of sight. "Police have tracked down both the leaders of Team Aqua and Team Magma and arrested them. Both have committed crimes against Pokémon, stealing, and other related offenses. When asked for a comment, Maxie only replied, 'I only did what I thought would be best for the world' before being arrested by the police. We will report more on this breaking case when we have more information, but for now, back to you in the studio."

"So ... it's over?" Muddy asked curiously as the news returned back to the studio anchors. "The fight with Team Aqua and Magma is over?"

"I guess so, buddy!" Brendan smiled, pounding a fist into the air. "This has been a great week. I get a badge, I save the world, and then Maxie and Archie get arrested!"

"Technically, you didn't save the world. Rayquaza did."

"Yeah, but I awoke him."

"Even then, didn't Wally do that?"

"...Yeah, but I ... was there?"

"If you say so, B Boy," muttered Muddy, smiling. He got up the couch and stretched, Brendan following suit. "We should probably tell May about this, don't you think?"

"Yeah, good idea," replied Brendan, cracking his knuckles. "I'm sure she'd hug me once I tell her."

"What's with this ... sudden infatmation about her?"

"It's infatuation, Muddy."

"Tee hee. It still has the word 'fat' in it. But yeah. How come?"

Brendan smiled widely and placed his hands behind his head, looking up dreamily. "You know, Muddy, that talk with Wally after our gym battle made me think. I do like May, and there's no denying it. And I think she likes me too. I'm going to tell her that I like her and hopefully she'll tell me that she likes me back, and then I'll be the happiest boy in the world!"

"Uh, right," said Muddy, confused as they approached Wally's hospital room. "I'll never get you humans and your ability to like one girl one minute and then another the next. But whatever floats your boat." Muddy was about to push open the door when Brendan stopped him.

"Wait. Wally's awake," Brendan muttered.

"So all the more to burst in like the gay ray of sunshine you are!"

"Pardon?"

"It means happy, fool."

"Just ... wait. I've never seen Wally alone with May, and I've been kind of curious."

Muddy shook his head as he and Brendan peeped through the small crack of the open door. "Ah, the jealously of young love. Funny yet ... sad."

"So, where's Brendan?" Brendan heard Wally ask through the door.

"Uh, I think he went to get food and to check the news," May replied, playing with Wally's bedsheets. "How are you feeling anyway?"

"I have such a pounding headache," the green-haired trainer replied, rubbing his temples.

"Want me to get a nurse?"

"No, no, I'm fine. How are you, May?"

"Oh, Wally." May grabbed Wally's hand again as she sat on the side of his bed, sitting closer to him. "I was so scared when you got hit! And then I got even more scared when you didn't wake up for those long three days! I mean ... Latias, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Brendan saw Wally smile and put his other hand on top of May's. "I owed you it, May," he said. "I mean ... you've done so much for me. You helped me catch my first Pokémon, you inspired me to leave my home and pursue becoming a Pokémon Trainer. Without you, I don't think I'd be where I am today."

May smiled brightly in return, edging closer toward Wally. "You know, I'll never forget what you did for me those few days ago."

"I don't think I will either," said Wally, now just noticing that May's face was getting dangerously close to his. "Um ... May? What are you doing?"

May, blushing, didn't reply as she pressed her lips hard against his, her eyes closed. It was a long, lingering kiss, and despite knowing Brendan would freak the hell out, Wally was going to enjoy it. He kissed back, closing his eyes while pulling May closer to him.

Quickly thinking for once, Muddy put his paw over his trainer's mouth and pulled him away from the room before Wally and May heard him scream in horror. He dragged him outside the hospital and released him. Brendan promptly began to stamp the dirt ground like a wild Aipom and scream toward the sky.

"So, I'm guessing you're mad, but I'm pretty bad at charades," Muddy remarked, watching Brendan's antics amused. "It was just a kiss."

"No it wasn't!" Brendan shrieked after he stopped hopping up and down. "That was a kiss _kiss_! There's a difference!"

"Uh, what is the difference?"

Brendan slapped his forehead. "Must I explain everything? A kiss is, you know, a peck of the cheek. Lips even. A kiss _kiss _is what she did! Full on, more than two seconds, and the works! And what's worst is that _she_ kissed _him_! Latios, Muddy, do you know what this means?"

"Um ... boobies for everyone!"

"No! It means she likes-" Brendan shuddered in disgust, "-Wally! My worst nightmare has come true! She likes Wally!"

"Can we make it boobies for everyone instead? And how? She just kissed him!"

"Exactly! She kissed him!"

"I don't get it, B Boy. She just kissed him!"

"You don't get it."

"I just said that!"

"Ugh!"

Brendan stomped off to a bench and sat on it, crossing his arms and pouting. Muddy sat down next to him and scratched his head, kicking his legs back and forth while gripping the bench's seat. "So this means no boobies?"

"I don't know, Muddy." Brendan sighed and looked up the sky dotted with puffy white clouds. "I want to tell her that I like her but ... maybe that's just a sign that she doesn't feel the same way about me now. If she liked me, she wouldn't have done that, right?"

"He saved her life," Muddy replied. "She could be just grateful too."

"They make greeting cards for that!"

"I can imagine."

"Agh. Muddy, what am I going to do?" Brendan put his head between his hands and sighed again. "I feel so ... confused now. You know, I had it all planned out. I was going to take her out on a picnic and buy her those candies she likes. We would have sat down on the grass, and I would have taken her hand and looked into her pretty, blue eyes and just ... well. Yeah. So what now?"

"So I ... heard you like Mudkips?" Muddy replied sheepishly, smiling.

Brendan stared dully at him.

"You knew it was coming sooner or later!"

* * *

Wally finally pushed May away, gasping for breath. What was he doing? He just became pretty good friends with Brendan the past week after a long and bitter rival-ship and then he commits the ultimate betrayal by kissing the girl Brendan likes? Hell, Wally wasn't even sure if he still liked May more than just a friend anymore.

May blinked twice, confused, before asking, "Was that a bad idea? We can just pretend that never happened."

The green-haired trainer quickly shook his head. "No, it's not that, May. In fact, it was a very wonderful kiss. It's just that ..." He trailed off, playing with the linen bedsheets. "I'm just a little confused now, that's all."

May plopped herself into the wooden chair next to Wally's bed and sighed, not making contact with him by looking out the open window. "About why I kissed you?" she asked softly, moving a strand of loose hair away from her face. She closed her eyes and shivered as a sea breeze blew by and brushed up against her.

"Yeah, I guess so."

May hid her blush by covering her cheeks with hair. Still averting Wally's gaze, she answered, "I really do like you, Wally."

Latios, don't say that, thought Wally, cursing in his head.

Wally avoided looking at May by looking down at his lap. Clasping his hands together, he muttered, "You know, May, I've dreamed of the day that you'd tell me that. I liked you since the very first day I met you, and ... Latias, really this is a dream come true."

May turned around and look directly into Wally's green eyes. "But?"

"How did you know there was a but?"

"I'm good at guessing."

"But ... I don't think you like me."

May's saddened face quickly snapped up into an angry one. Her blue eyes were filled with fury as she narrowed them, huffing, blowing hair out of her face. "Don't say that! You have no idea how I feel! I like you, and that's that!" she shouted, her fists clenched.

Wally only stared back at her, no expression on his face. "No, I don't think you do. I think you just think you do because I saved you. Same scenario but a different guy ... Would you have kissed him, you think?"

"No, because he's a stranger!"

"Alright. What if it was Brendan that saved you? Would you have kissed him?"

May hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I don't think I would have. Brendan and you are so different. You're so sweet and nice and Brendan ... Brendan is so hard-headed and arrogant and mean. I'm not interested in him. And I never will be. Wally, I like you."

Wally bit his lip and thought for a bit. This was the day he was waiting for. Sure, he could say that he liked her back and they could be happy and be together and all that fun stuff, but was it for the right reason? Deep down, he knew May didn't really feel the same that he felt toward her and he knew that deep down inside May she liked Brendan.

Looking May directly in the eye, he murmured, "No. No, you don't. May, I really want you to think about this. If you still think you like me after you do, then great. I'd love to be with you and try it out. But ... I just think you like me because of what I did and not for who I am."

May started to get teary-eyed, clenching Wally's bedsheets, and before Wally could do anything, she took off, the chair behind her slamming into the wall as she kicked it back. She ran out the door, hands over her face, sobbing. Sighing, the green-haired trainer collapsed back into his bed and closed his eyes to rest.

* * *

"Well, there's no use crying over it," Muddy muttered, patting Brendan on the head with a sympathetic paw.

"I am not crying!" Brendan shouted in a shaky tone. "I-I just got something in my eye!"

Muddy held back a laugh by biting his lip and looked across the glossy smooth lake where the Sootopolis gym was built. "We should probably challenge the gym here if we're going to wait for Wally-"

"Don't say his name!"

"-to get better. This is going to be our eighth badge, isn't it? Don't we qualify for the League once we get it?"

"Meh. Yeah."

"Well, what are we waiting for!" Muddy jumped to his feet and forced his trainer to get on his. "Maybe battling will get your mind off of May and the green one." He pumped a paw into the air. "Are you ready, Brendan Birch?"

Brendan sighed, hunched over. "To die of a broken heart?"

"No! To challenge the gym leader! To qualify for the Pokémon League! Let us do it for the boobies!"

"Eh. I guess."

With that, Muddy jumped into the glossy water, causing the water to ripple around his body. Brendan climbed onto his back, and the two gracefully glided over to the gym in the middle of the lake. After a few minutes of surfing, the two reached the shore of the gym. Brendan quickly jumped off and sat down in the soft grass, pouting.

"C'mon, boy!" Muddy urged, beckoning at the white-haired trainer and whistling. "C'mon, go to the gym! Atta boy, atta boy!"

"Muddy, I'm just not in the mood." Brendan sighed, falling backward to look up to the deep blue of the sky. He squinted as rays of sunlight danced across his face. "I don't think I'll be able to concentrate. That kiss just keeps repeating itself in my mind over and over and over again."

Muddy rolled his eyes and plopped himself in the grass next to Brendan. Squeezing his knees to his chest, he asked, "So when are you going to get over this? She's still going to travel with us, and if she and Wally hook up, he might have to come with us too."

"Oh, Latios!" Brendan sat up and put a hand over his mouth as if he were going to hurl. "I didn't even think of that, Muddy! I wouldn't be able to stand it if that happened! This sucks!"

"I'd hate to interrupt your conversation with your Swampert, but did I hear you correctly? You're having some girl problems?"

Brendan and Muddy turned their heads to see a man hunched over a few yards away, feeding a chirping Luvdisc in the water. He stood up, elegant and tall, his peppered black and white hair blowing in the wind. He smiled charmingly as he walked over toward Brendan, his blue coat flapping behind him.

"Yeah, that's right," Brendan said. "Who are you?"

"Don't you know, Brendan?" Muddy said excitedly, stars appearing in his eyes. "He's Juan! He's the gym leader of Sootopolis!"

"And how do you know this?" asked Brendan. "And why are you looking so dreamily at him?"

"I don't know," Muddy answered, snapping out of it. "When Flare told me about him, she looked like that. I thought it was proper to do so when talking about him."

Juan lifted his elaborately decorated coat a bit before sitting down next to Brendan, careful to not scuff his clean, white shoes. He plucked a wild flower from the grass and gave it to the Luvdisc in the water who gratefully took it in her mouth and chirped happily before diving down into the lake. "So what seems to be the problem? The girl you liked kissed another boy who you happen to be friends with?"

"Ex-friends," Brendan murmured, scowling. "I'm sure he knows that I like May. If he were my friend, he wouldn't have kissed her back."

"Losing a friendship over a girl is quite the ridiculous thing, don't you think?" Juan replied, leaning on the back of his hands while staring into the distance. "I myself have had many girls come between me and my goals, but despite how pretty they are, I would have never let them take over my life. And what if this other boy makes your friend May happy? Don't you want her to be happy?"

"I do," Brendan answered quietly. "Just ... I wanted her to be happy with me."

"Ah, well. There's only so many things you can do in a situation like this."

"So what do I do?"

Juan only smiled. "When the time comes, I think you'll know. Listen to your heart. It'll tell you."

"It's telling me to maul the other guy like a rabid Mightyena."

"If you feel that's right at the time it happens, then so be it." Juan chuckled as he pushed himself up, wiping the dirt off his pants. "Now, you're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you? Why not a battle? It'll get your mind off it."

"I suppose." Brendan pushed himself up and followed Juan inside the gym. "You know what? You are a beautiful man."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Juan pushed open the clear glass doors of his gym, a breath of cold air greeting them. Closing the doors behind him, Brendan observed the gym with careful eyes. The gym looked like it came out of a painting. Elaborate fountains made of white marble decorated the sides, crystal-clear water pouring out of them and into the water below, splashing and leaving a pleasant, peaceful sound that echoed against the walls. Skylights were throughout the ceiling, the light sparkling the metallic blue paint on the walls. Detailed statues of water Pokémon made entirely of stone were pushed up next to the long, elaborate staircase, the staircase itself carpeted with plush, white carpet. What Brendan seemed to notice most of all were the girl trainers clad in rather revealing clothes – most of them beautiful – giggling and waving at Juan, batting their eyelashes.

"Hello, Juan!" the girls chimed in together before releasing an outburst of giggles.

"Hello, ladies!" Juan waved to them, causing the girls to sigh dreamily.

Muddy, confused, scratched his head. "Brendan," he hissed in a hushed voice. "Brendan, is this a whore house?"

"What was that?" Brendan asked absentmindedly.

"Nothing!"

Brendan followed Juan up the staircase, almost feeling guilty for dirtying the fluffy, white carpet with his sneakers. He placed a hand on the marble stair railing, shivering as the coldness ran up and down his spine. Finally, the two reached the top of the gym, and Brendan turned around to look at the view.

Juan walked ahead and went to his side of the battlefield. Snapping his fingers as he walked, the plush carpet broke into two separate sides, revealing a cool, clear pool of water with small, plastic pillars littered in between. Juan swiftly turned around, his coattails flapping behind him, enlarged a Pokéball. "Are you ready?" he asked with a charming grin.

Brendan turned his head around and gaped at how fast the battlefield change. "Of course!" he said, turning all the way around and plucking a Pokéball from his belt. He threw it up in the air and caught it, smirking. "What are the rules?"

A judge – a giggling girl, of course – emerged and stood to the side of the field, two flags in hand. "This gym battle will be, like, a four-on-four. No time limit. And like, um, the challenger can substitute his Pokemon at any time while Juan-" she sighed dreamily at this, "-cannot as, like, unfair as that is! Release your Pokemon, challenger, whenever you are ready!"

With a flick of his wrist, Brendan threw his Pokéball onto the battlefield. The ball spiraled in a blur of red and white before sinking into the water. A burst of light shone through the water, and the form of Sapphire appeared, emerging from the water to look around the gym. "Let's do it, Sapphire!" Brendan cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

Sapphire nodded, a determined look in her eye, her beacon crackling with electricity.

Juan threw his Pokéball onto the field, the ball breaking on impact as it hit one of the plastic pillars. In a bright beam of light, a thin and red Pokemon, shaped much like a heart, appeared, a confused look on her face. She then smiled and splashed the water, cheering her name happily. "Ready to do this, Luvdisc?" Juan asked.

The Luvdisc chirped her name again, circling around herself gracefully.

"Let's make this fast, Sapphire! Spark!" Brendan commanded, pointing a finger at the heart-shaped Pokemon.

Sapphire nodded and swiftly swam through the water, her target the still ever-chirping Luvdisc. Her beacon glowed a bright yellow as it crackled with power the closer she got, but before she could even attack, Juan retorted, "Sweet Kiss, Luvdisc!"

The Luvdisc twirled in the water and puckered her lips. Her lips hit Sapphire's lowered beacon but she didn't get shocked. Instead, Sapphire blinked twice, confused and swam back into a pillar. She then swung her electric-filled beacon at the pillar, thinking it was the Luvdisc. The attack died out and Sapphire swam around in circles, still confused.

"Ugh." Brendan ran a hand down his face, Muddy behind him doing the same. "Concentrate, Sapphire, and try a Take Down attack!"

Sapphire, dazed out, swirled around in the water and crashed into another pillar, making the Luvdisc giggle.

"Okay, Luvdisc, Water Pulse!" the gym leader demanded.

Luvdisc flipped up in the air, beads of water sparkling in the sunlight, and hit the water below her with tremendous force, sending out wave after wave of pulsing energy. The energy traveled through the water, hitting the Light Pokémon directly, pulse after pulse, slamming into the wall of the pool. Sapphire shook her head and panted; at least the attack seemed to snap Sapphire out of confusion.

"Let's try Take Down again!" Brendan directed.

Sapphire dove underwater, her lit beacon indicating her position. She darted over toward the Luvdisc, dodged the pillars, and emerged above the surface, flying over the Rendezvous Pokémon and slamming into her, sending the both of them into the depths of the pool.

"Now, Luvdisc! Flail!" Juan retaliated.

Underneath the water, Luvdisc, who's eyes were clenched shut, quickly opened them and barraged the Light Pokémon in a fury of tail slaps. Sapphire groaned in pain, trying to dodge the bombardment, but failed. She then emerged above the water on her back, her eyes closed.

"Darn, that's right," Brendan said quietly. "Flail is stronger the lower the user's hp is."

"The challenger's Lanturn is unable to battle!" the judge declared, raising Juan's green flag as the picture of Sapphire faded on the scoreboard. Giggling and twirling a strand of hair around her finger, she said, "Juan's totally cute Luvdisc totally wins!"

"No commentary from the peanut gallery," Brendan muttered, returning Sapphire's Pokéball and thanking her for her battle. She exchange balls on his belt and maximized another. "I'm obviously underestimating this battle. Time to bring out the big guns! Let's do it, Cy!"

Brendan's Kadabra was released onto one of the pillars, twirling his silver spoon in his right hand. He looked at his opposing Pokémon and sighed, looking dully at his trainer behind him.

"Don't underestimate her, Cy," Brendan warned.

Kadabra nodded and took a battle stance, his aura glowing with purple, psychic energy.

"Cy, Psychic!"

Kadabra twirled his spoon faster, the star on his forehead glowing an eerie red. He pointed his spoon at the Luvdisc and engulfed her body. The Luvdisc gasped as she floated mid-air to Kadabra's eye level.

"Perfect! Attract, Luvdisc!" Juan said with a grin.

Luvdisc, despite under the control of Cy's power, batted her eyelashes a few times and blew a kiss at him. Cy released the heart-shaped Pokémon from his grasp and stared at her, wide-eyed, proving that even the smartest put their heart over their mind.

"This thing is _really_ getting on my nerves," Brendan said through clenched teeth, returning Cy into his Pokéball. He switched Pokéballs and threw another one onto the battlefield. "Show 'em your stuff, Cinders!"

Muddy slapped his forehead. "Cinders?" he muttered. "You do remember she's a _fire_ type, right?"

"I have no other girl Pokémon though!"

"Eh heh yeah, Silver? I'm pretty sure that Luvdisc had no attacks that would have harmed him and even if he was under the Attract spell, none of her other attacks would have fazed him."

"Do you want to lead this battle, or shall I?"

"Actually-"

"It was a rhetorical question. Cinders, Confuse Ray!"

Cinders, smiling cutely and licking her paw, hopped onto all fours and jumped from pillar to pillar, coming in closer to the Luvdisc. With her eyes glowing a creepy bright yellow, she stood on the pillar right in front of Luvdisc and glared at her, baring her teeth. The Luvdisc jumped back a bit, staring into the deep abyss of Cinders's eyes before dazing out, stars in front of her eyes.

"Snap out of it!" Juan pleaded.

"Don't let her! Quick Attack and then Flamethrower!" Brendan countered.

The Vulpix brushed her paw back a few times before sprinting off the pillar and onto the Luvdisc's head and kicked her legs backward, sending the Luvdisc flying. Landing on another pillar, the Fox Pokémon jumped high into the air, surpassing the Luvdisc. She then turned her face toward the ground and unleashed a blaze of hot flames from her mouth. The flames engulfed the flying Luvdisc in an orange and red blaze. She screamed, smoking, before herself and the fire around extinguished around her as she hit the water. She then emerged a few seconds later, x's in her eyes.

"Oh boo," the judge huffed, raising Brendan's red flag. "Juan's Luvdisc is unable to battle! The challenger's Vulpix wins!"

"Yay, Cinders!" Brendan cheered, picking up his Vulpix and hugging it when she crossed to her side of the battlefield. Cinders purred happily before she jumped out of Brendan's arms and back onto the battlefield.

"You did great, Luvdisc," Juan said, returning her and smiling at her through her Pokéball. Switching Pokéballs in his coat pocket, he enlarged it and threw it onto the field. "Come on out, Sealeo! Start things off with Aurora Beam!"

"Counter with Flamethrower, Cinders!" Brendan quickly countered.

In a flash of light, a pudgy but cute seal appeared on the pillar, his blue skin dotted with tan dots. He lifted his upper fins and clapped happily, showing his tan underbelly. Wriggling his whiskers, the Sealeo opened his mouth, revealing a small ball of multi-colored energy. He then fired it at the Vulpix who quickly shot her flamethrower. The two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield, creating a thick, white steam cloud. The two Pokémon both stopped their attacks and glared at each other.

"Cinders, Will-o-wisp!" Brendan ordered.

Cinders nodded, her eyes glowing, and opening a mouth a little, releasing a small, blue flame from her mouth. The flame danced and levitated mid-air, slowly making its way over to the Sealeo. Entranced by it, the Sealeo lifted a paw to touch it, only to get burned. He cried out and dipped his paw into the water, only intensifying the pain.

"Sealeo, try Water Pulse!" Juan commanded.

Sealeo, angry by the burn, slapped his two paws into the water, sending out pulses of water toward Brendan's side of the field. Cinders managed to jump over a few of these but lost her timing and got hit by a few, cold water washing over her. Growling, Cinders got back onto her feet weakly, shaking the water out of her fur.

"Finish her off, Sealeo! Body Slam!" the gym leader directed.

Sealeo, sweating a bit because of his burn, jumped into the water and swiftly swam toward the Vulpix. He jumped out of the water as he came closer, his shadow closing in on the tired Cinders.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Brendan countered.

Cinders, panting, used her speed to dodge the Ball Roll Pokémon, landing on another pillar. Sealeo landed on the pillar Cinders previously was on, cracking it in half and submerging it underwater. He turned around and growled, the Vuplix taunting him by sticking out her tongue.

"While his guard is down, Flamethrower again!"

Cinders flipped in the air, her mouth filled with flames, and shot it toward the Sealeo. The Sealeo took the attack head on and clenched his eyes shot, absorbing the attack. When the attack died down, Sealeo re-opened his eyes and clapped with his two front paws again, grinning.

"What the – that should have hurt it a bit!" Brendan complained. "Sealeo's are part ice, aren't they?"

"Well, yeah, but they're fat too." Muddy grinned innocently as the Sealeo glared at him. "Thick fat is one of their abilities. Their blubber pretty much absorbs ice and fire attacks and cuts their attacks in half."

"And now you tell me?"

"Hey, you offered to let me call the shots, and you said you were just being retarded."

"I said rhetoric."

"Same thing."

Brendan paid attention to the battle again and looked at his weary Vulpix, concern lingering in his eye. "Hang in there, Cinders," he said pleadingly. "You're doing great! Let's try another Quick Attack!"

Panting, Cinders nodded and dashed over to the Sealeo, ramming into him straight on. She pushed all her weight into her attack, but the Sealeo didn't budge. Annoyed, the Sealeo lifted his paw and slapped the Fox Pokémon across the field, sending her flying. Cinders, like a pebble, skipped over the water and finally crashed into a pillar, making Brendan flinched. Despite groggily getting back to her feet, Cinders fell back down, clearly exhausted.

"Aw," the judge said sadly. "The really cute Vulpix is unable to battle! But yay! Juan's Sealeo wins!"

"Great job, Sealeo!" Juan said, congratulating his clapping seal.

"Return, Cinders!" Brendan recalled his fire Pokémon back into her ball and congratulated her on a job well done. Replacing her ball with Cy's, he released his Psi Pokémon back onto the field. Kadabra twirled his silver spoon in his hand, clearly fallen out of love with the Luvdisc from before. "Cy, Psychic!"

Cy, engulfed in psychic energy again, lifted his spoon which also lifted the Sealeo. He spun his spoon around, spinning around the Sealeo, before throwing his arm, sending the Sealeo flying into the wall. Sealeo cried out his name before crashing, landing in a nearby fountain and cracking it, bits of marble embedding itself in the thick blubber of his skin. Sealeo roared again and shook the paw that was burnt; the burn Cinders inflicted was getting worse.

"Sealeo, Aurora Beam again!" Juan directed, getting worried for his Pokémon.

Sealeo, breathing heavily, opening his mouth and fired a pretty ray of ice toward the Kadabra. Kadabra stood his ground, still twirling the spoon in his hand.

"Use Psychic to send that beam right back at him!" Brendan said, his fists clenched at his sides.

Kadabra nodded and sent out a purple blast of energy toward the beam closing in on him. The light engulfed the beam and Cy directed it back in the direction it came in. Sealeo unnoticed the beam coming toward him until it was too late. Despite having thick skin, the Sealeo took full blast of the attack. He skid backward into the wall, slamming into it with a loud thud, before collapsing to the ground, too tired to fight.

"No!" the judge screamed, tears forming in her eyes. "Aw, Juan's Sealeo is unable to battle. The challenger's Kadabra wins!"

"Woo, go Cy!" Brendan cheered, jumping in the air.

"You deserve a great rest, Sealeo," Juan said, returning his Pokémon and smiling. "Alright, let's fight, Crawdaunt!"

In a blaze of light, out emerged a crab-like being from Juan's Pokéball. He snapped his two claws threateningly, his beady eyes narrowing underneath the star-shaped decoration on his forehead. His body looked almost steel-like as he pounded a claw against his belly.

"Crabhammer, Crawdaunt!"

The Crawdaunt cried out its named before jumping into the water, swimming toward Cy. He jumped onto the pillar the psychic Pokémon stood and threw his claw back, his claw glowing with pulsing energy.

"Hurry and use Reflect, Cy!" Brendan ordered.

Before the Crawdaunt could attack, Cy threw up a clear barrier that protected him the Crawdaunt's barrage. The Crawdaunt repeatedly hit his claw against the barrier and finally broke free, slamming his claw hard into Cy's leg, but not as hard as he wanted it to be. Cy stumbled back and shook the attack off, pointing his spoon at the crab Pokémon.

"Taunt, Crawdaunt!" the gym leader directed.

The Crawdaunt stuck out its tongue tauntingly, as if teasing the Psi Pokémon for not using any attacks. Cy took the bait and refused to do anything except offensive moves.

"Crabhammer again!"

The Crawdaunt raised its claw again and directly hit Cy in the stomach, sending the psychic skidding. Kadabra stopped himself quickly by clawing at the ground with a hand and stood back up, anger apparent in his eyes.

"Future Sight, Cy!"

Cy concentrated his energy and closed his eyes, his body giving off vibrations.

"Water Pulse, Crawdaunt!"

Crawdaunt jumped backward into the water and sent waves of pulsing energy toward the Psi Pokémon. He took the attack head on and quavered a bit, his body weak but the head strong.

"Recover, Cy-" Brendan stopped himself as Cy shook his head, his ego still hurt from the Crawdaunt's taunt. "Oh fine. Psychic again!"

Cy lifted his spoon and shot a wave of purple energy at the Crawdaunt. He lifted him up from the water, beads of water dripping down his body, and sent him slamming down into the water, creating a huge splash as a result. Crawdaunt swam back up toward the surface and coughed, spitting water from his mouth.

"Crabhammer!" Juan directed.

"Dodge it!" Brendan ordered back.

Crawdaunt jumped onto a pillar again, his right claw glowing with energy and swung at Cy who dodged by teleporting to the pillar behind him. Glowing with a bright, yellow energy, Cy pointed his spoon at the Crawdaunt. Whizzing was heard through the gym, and suddenly, Crawdaunt was barraged by bolts of yellow light that hit him from the back and front and repeatedly. Crawdaunt collapsed onto the pillar and fainted thanks to Cy's Future Sight.

"Juan, you can't lose!" the judge pleaded. "Oh, Crawdaunt is unable to battle ... Kadabra wins!"

Juan returned his Pokémon back to his ball and thanked it before switching balls in his coat. "Looks like we're near the end," he muttered before throwing the ball toward the battlefield. "It's all up to you, Kingdra!"

The Pokéball sunk into the water before the Pokémon released himself, revealing an elegant Kingdra. The small flaps on his back (which were probably wings) danced back and forth in the pool's current gently. His blue body blended well underwater, almost camouflaging himself from Brendan and Cy. He finally emerged in all his glory, water dripping down his scales before crying out a mighty battle cry.

"Kingdra, Ice Beam!" Juan directed.

Kingdra opened his mouth, a small, blue ball of ice crackling in his mouth. He released it in a heavenly-blue ray, its speed much faster than Sealeo's Aurora Beam. Cy tried to block it by sending out psychic waves, but he was much too slow; he took the attack head and and skid back into the water. Swimming to the surface, the Kadabra sputtered before climbing back onto a pillar, his body dripping with water.

"Cy, Recover!" Brendan shouted.

Cy nodded and sat down in a meditative position. He closed his eyes and pure white energy engulfed him, restoring some of his health. He stood back up, looking much healthier than he did earlier.

"Ice Beam again, Kingdra!"

Kingdra opened his mouth and fired another beam of ice toward the Psi Pokémon, hitting him square in the chest and sending down into the water. Kingdra continued his attack for a bit, and when he was done, Cy emerged as a block of ice.

"The challenger's Kadabra is unable to battle!" the judge said giddily. "Juan's Kingdra wins!"

"You did awesome, Cy!" Brendan returned his Pokémon and replaced it on his belt. He then turned his head around and looked at Muddy. "Well?"

Muddy looked the other way and crossed his arms, huffing. "No way. You're mean."

"Oh, c'mon, Muddy!"

"Fineee." And with that, Muddy passed his trainer and jumped into the pool, eying the Kingdra wearily. "If I end up in a block of ice like Cy, I shall kill ye, Brendan."

"Oh, I know. Start things off with Take Down!"

"Double Team, Kingdra!"

Muddy jumped onto a pillar and hopped from pillar to pillar, closing in on the Kingdra. Meanwhile, Kingdra closed his eyes and produced copies of himself that surrounded the Swampert. Guessing, the Muddy tackled a Kingdra to his right but it ended up being an illusion. He swam underwater, taking in the battle from underneath his opponent.

"Get rid of those illusions with Surf, Muddy!"

Muddy, still underwater, lifted his arms, a surge of water rising up as well. The Surf attack blasted up, hitting Kingdra and all of his copies with him. The copies disappeared and all that was left was Kingdra, looking dazed.

"Use your Ice Beam, Kingdra!"

"Protect!"

Kingdra swam underwater where Muddy was and fired an ice beam at the Swampert, but Muddy quickly countered by conjuring up a transparent yellow barrier that absorbed the ice attack.

"Now use Take Down, Muddy!"

Muddy, like a jet, swam up quickly toward the Kingdra and rammed into him, sending the Kingdra outside the water and above the surface. Kingdra landed back into the water with a rough splash as Muddy emerged above the surface, climbing onto a nearby pillar.

"Rest!" Juan demanded with a small smirk.

"Dammit," Brendan cursed as he watched the Kingdra close it eyes and rest, restoring its energy. "No matter, we'll use this to our advantage. Use Take Down and bring him all the way to the bottom of the pool!"

Muddy nodded and jumped from the pillar onto the sleeping Kingdra, bringing the two of them down to the bottom of the pool. He slammed his body into the Kingdra's once at the floor, but the Kingdra didn't seem to be fazed by it.

"Now Earthquake!" Brendan shouted, hoping his Pokémon could still hear him.

Muddy, luckily, did, and concentrated all the power in his arms, shaking the ground, and the Kingdra, violently. This, unfortunately, awoke up the Kingdra who struggled to get out of Muddy's grip.

"Water Pulse, Kingdra!" Juan directed, peering into the water to see the battle better.

Kingdra's eyes glowed a deep shade of blue as vibrations resonated from his body, releasing himself from Muddy's grip and sending Muddy swiftly toward the surface. Muddy crashed into the side of a pillar, shaking his head to get rid of the stars that blinded his vision. Kingdra swiftly swam after him, tackling the Swampert harder into the pillar. Muddy managed to regain stability and head-butted the Kingdra back before climbing back onto a pillar, gasping for air.

"Hang in there, Muddy," Brendan said, watching his Swampert double over in fatigue.

Kingdra seemed to be in the same lifeboat that Muddy was in despite resting a few turns ago. He floated a bit above the surface, panting as well, waiting for orders.

"Kingdra, Rest again!" Juan ordered.

"Don't let him sleep, Muddy! Earthquake!"

Kingdra closed his eyes for another quick, little nap but Muddy didn't let him, stomping the pillar and sending vibrations throughout the gym. Kingdra, annoyed, opened his eyes, unable to sleep, and glared at a snickering Swampert.

"C'mon, Kingdra! Water Pulse!" Juan demanded.

"Counter with Surf!" Brendan ordered.

The water in the pool split into two as Muddy and Kingdra focused all their power into the water behind them. The water behind Muddy went over his head in a tidal wave while Kingdra focused the water into strong, underwater vibrations that shook the pool. The attacks hit dead on before rushing over to their opposing side, drenching both Pokémon and trainers in water. When the water calmed down to gentle waves that lapped along the sides of the pool. Muddy was kneeled over, drenched, breathing heavily but there was no sign of Kingdra. Kingdra finally emerged from the depths of the pool, floating on its back.

The judge started to cry as Brendan's picture and his team took over the scoreboard. "Juan's Kingdra is unable to battle," she said between sniffles. "The ... the ch-challenger w-wins!"

"Great job, Muddy!" Brendan exclaimed, hopping onto the battlefield onto the pillar where Muddy stood and high-fived him. "And you didn't get frozen in a block of ice!" Muddy only glared at Brendan before his trainer returned him into his Pokéball.

Juan walked over to Brendan's side of the pool as Brendan hopped off the battlefield. "So was I right?" he asked, smiling. "Did you get your mind off your little problem?"

Brendan frowned. "Yeah, but since you reminded me ..." He grinned. "But that's okay! I finally qualify for the League!" He danced a little bit, throwing his hands in the air.

Juan watched the white-haired trainer's antics amusingly, fishing in his pocket for a gym badge. "This is the Rain Badge," he said, pressing a badge that looked like three rain drops sealed together. "And as you said, if this is indeed your eighth badge, then you qualify for the League. I wish you all the best once the competition begins!"

"Thanks, Juan!" Brendan grinned from ear to ear before placing the badge in his badge case. "And thank you for the advice earlier."

"I hope nothing but the best for you and your friends," Juan said, shaking Brendan's hand. "Good luck!"

* * *

The sun was already setting by the time Brendan exited the gym, the dark blue of the sky fading into the pinkish-orange of the sunset. The wind gently blew through Brendan's hair, making his wet clothes stick to his skin. He took in the beauty of Sootopolis and held his arms out wide, breathing in the fresh air. As he approached the water of the lake, he then began to ponder how was he suppose to reach the Pokémon Center with half his team dead tired.

It didn't really matter though as he saw his girl companion curled up against the side of the gym's wall, stroking her Delcatty's fur, looking wistfully past the white mountain ranges. Curious, he walked over to her, the long grass falling flat underneath his shoes. He sat down next to her without her knowledge and looked out into the distance as well.

"What's wrong?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the sunset that reflected in the calm waters of the lake.

May snapped out of her daze and looked at the boy trainer. "I'd rather not say," she murmured, still petting her sleeping Skittles.

"May, you can tell me anything." Brendan placed a hand on May's hand comfortingly.

May looked down at her and Brendan's hands and sighed. "You won't get mad or upset or anything?"

"I promise."

The girl trainer sighed, casting her eyes toward her lap. "Well, it's like this," she began. "When you were gone, Wally woke up. We talked for a little –"

And kissed, Brendan thought in his head angrily.

"– and eventually, it lead to me telling him that I liked him."

Brendan's hand clenched up a bit but May didn't notice luckily. Relaxing himself, he asked, "And what happened."

Tears weld up in May's pretty blue eyes. "He ... he said that he didn't think I liked him and that I only said that because he saved me and that I should re-think it over. But I still do like him, Brendan!"

It felt like Brendan's heart was ripped into two as May uttered the last sentence. Fighting back tears himself, he asked, "Does he make you happy, May?"

May smiled, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight because of her tears. "He does. He's a good guy, Brendan."

Brendan held back a sigh. "I know he is. He'll be good for you."

"Do you really think so?"

Juan's words repeated in Brendan's head. _When the time comes, you'll know. Listen to your heart. It'll tell you._

Brendan nodded, not looking at May. "I really think so, May. I think you should tell him that your feelings for him are the real deal."

May hopped onto her feet and looked at Brendan happily. "You're right!" she said cheerfully. "I'm going to go back into Wally's room and tell him exactly that! Thank you so much, Brendan! You really made me feel better."

Brendan mustered up all he could to give May a smile back. "That's what I'm here for."

May, giddy, returned Skittles and released her Gyarados to cross the lake. Brendan, meanwhile, stay behind and sighed. It was already late at night by the time he himself crossed the lake to the Pokémon Center. He preferred it that way.

No one saw him cry.

* * *

I feel sad now. The ending actually made me feel bad. That's never happened!

Muddy: CHURROS.

Oh, I love churros! But not from Disneyland!

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/23/09**


	54. Fugitives in Sootopolis City

**Disclaimer**: Owning it? I thinketh not.

Muddy: I heard you liked me.

No.

Muddy: ...oh.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Fugitives in Sootopolis City**

**

* * *

**

Brendan wasn't sure how long he was sitting at the table inside the Pokémon Center. He knew his back was aching. He knew his butt was getting sore. He knew that the soggy stack of pancakes (with three bites taken out of them) were long cold. He also knew he looked like a mess. But he didn't care. Life, as he knew it, was over.

Sighing, his head bent down, Brendan rolled an empty Pokéball between his two pointer fingers, whistling a sad tune to himself. He was at a crossroads at what to do: Should he suck it up and continue to travel with May or should he go alone? Both options had their ups and downs.

Traveling alone wouldn't be so bad. He already had all his badges. All he needed to do was return home and train for the upcoming league. Of course, there would be no one there to push and challenge him, urge him to be better. There would be no one to cheer him on and he would have no one to cheer for.

On the other hand, could he really stand traveling with May and Wally, even if it were for a few weeks? He would have to suffer the indignity of goo-goo eyes and kissy-kissy faces and all that disgusting couple crap that couples do. Oh, that and the fact that Brendan still liked May a whole lot.

Yesterday was a blur. One minute he was celebrating the fact that Maxie and Archie were arrested, the next he saw May kiss Wally, the next he won a badge, and then finally he told May to ask Wally out because he would make her happy. And unfortunately, May did just that. May told Wally she was serious, and he asked her out, must to Brendan's dismay. Now they were official. It disgusted him.

Picking up his fork to swirl around the sticky syrup that built up at the bottom of his plate, Brendan looked up and saw a sheepish Wally sit in the seat across the table. Quickly, Brendan looked back down, narrowing his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"What?" the white-haired trainer managed to mutter, still playing with his fork. "Don't you have a gym leader to challenge?"

Wally hesitated. "I just ... wanted your approval."

"To challenge a gym? You don't need my permission, stupid."

"No! I mean ... to be with-"

"Please don't say it," Brendan pleaded, his head snapping up to look at Wally as he shook his head. "I ... I really don't think I could gulp down hearing it again. Wally, it's not up to me who you date or who _she_ dates. My opinion doesn't matter; this would have happened regardless."

Wally tapped his fingers on the wooden tabletop. "You know that's not true," he replied softly. "I know you said something to May that made her tell me that she was ... serious. She really respects you."

Brendan snorted.

"I'm serious! You influence her."

"Ah yes, because like she said once upon a time ago, 'I'm like a brother to her.' Of course I'm going to." Brendan rolled his ruby-red eyes, drumming his fingers on his right thigh. "And what if I said it wasn't okay for you to date _her? _Would you even change anything?"

Wally paused before answering. "Well-"

"Exactly. You just like reassurance. People only ask for approval if it's in their favor."

"All right, all right. I get it. This doesn't effect us being friends though, right?"

Brendan sighed again, gripping the empty Pokéball in his hand tighter. He looked outside the window. It was another gorgeous day in Sootopolis. The sunlight danced on the bright, white mountains, casting the city in a heavenly glow. Birds twittered outside and the lake sparkled dazzlingly, reflecting the buildings in its crystal clear water. "I won't lie, Wally. I feel kind of betrayed," he muttered. "I know that you're not a bad guy. I know you'll treat _her _well. But what I don't get is ... You knew I liked her, didn't you?"

Wally nodded slowly.

"But you decided to be with her?"

Wally nodded again.

"Didn't you think that maybe, just maybe, I'd get upset or mad or something?"

"Brendan, you know I like her too ..."

"Yeah ... Just ... You'll treat her well, right?"

"I don't think you would have let her be with me if you didn't think I would."

"I suppose." Brendan heaved out another sigh. "You're sure that you like her?"

Wally bit his lip, scrunching his nose. Deep down, he wasn't sure if he did like May as much as he did before. Before he could answer though, May came in and sat next to Wally, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hello, Wally!" she said perkily, giggling afterward.

Brendan did his best to not gag and roll his eyes. "I am so out of here." He slid out of the booth and grabbed his backpack on the table and threw it over his shoulder, knocking over his plate of pancakes to the floor. "Good luck with your battle, Wally."

"Brendan ..." Wally trailed off as May grabbed his hand. Looking down at their entwined hands, he smiled weakly, trying to suppress the thoughts that bubbled into his head again. Did he really want this? Did he want to be with May?

* * *

Brendan, hands in his pockets, trudged along the dirt road, kicking a pebble in front of him. The pebble skipped a few feet ahead and into a bush. Annoyed that the object he vented his frustrations on was gone, the boy trainer walked to the bush and moved the branches and leaves aside in hopes of finding it. Instead he found a boy crouched over, his arms over his head. Confused, Brendan poked the boy's back, and the boy in the bush uncurled himself, scaring him.

"Agh!" both boys screamed at the same time, the boy in the bush adding, "This is my hiding spot!"

Upon further inspection, Brendan noticed that the boy was a very familiar face. "Chris?" he asked, confused.

Chris dropped his arms and looked up, noticing his white-haired friend. "Brendan!" he exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," Brendan replied, leaning on his knees. "What the heck are you doing?"

Chris peeked his head above the bush before grabbing the front of Brendan's shirt and pulling him down. Brendan toppled over like a domino, landing on top of his former Team Magma partner. "This is wrong in so many ways," Brendan muttered, rubbing his head. Chris rolled his eyes and pushed Brendan off, positioning himself in a kneeling position. "So uh, what are you doing again?"

"Hiding," Chris said, peering through the branches of the bush.

Brendan scratched his head. "Hiding from what?"

"Them," the other red-eyed boy muttered, his eyes darting back and forth suspiciously.

"Clue me in, Chris. Who is 'them?'" Brendan asked, still confused.

Chris ran a hand through his dark, spiky hair nervously, shaking a bit. "Didn't you watch the news?" he asked. "About Team Magma and Team Aqua, I mean."

Brendan nodded excitedly. "Isn't it great, Chris? Both of those two jerks are in jail, and we're finally free from their clutches!"

Chris quickly shook his head. "Not quite," he said, pulling a newspaper article from the back pocket of his jeans. He unfolded it and handed it to Brendan. "Look at this."

Brendan squinted his eyes to read the news article. "Police are now on the lookout for Team Magma and Team Aqua Admins?" he read slowly. "Wait. That means –"

"Yep," Chris interrupted dryly. "They're after us. That jerk Maxie released the names of his top Admins for a lighter sentence. We're fugitives, Brendan. And guess who Maxie ratted out first?"

Brendan started to shake, sweat forming in the palms of his hands. "Me?" he asked, quivering.

"No! You're so egotistical!" Chris shouted, slapping his forehead. "He ratted out me first! That doesn't make you any safer though. I'm sure you have the police tracking you down."

Brendan clicked his tongue a few times. "That's not fair though," Brendan complained, giving the paper back to Chris. "We were totally roped into joining Maxie. He threatened your family and he lied to me! Can't we just tell them that?"

"Well, that's why I'm back home," Chris replied. "I have a trial here soon. My family, luckily, saved all the threatening notes that Maxie sent. We're going to use that as evidence and hopefully that'll set me free."

"But what about me?" Brendan asked worriedly. "All of my deals with Maxie were done in person. I have no record to show him telling me lies."

"PokéNav phone records?"

"Maybe. I doubt there's anything there that's solid though. I'm going to jail, aren't I?"

Chris looked at Brendan with concern. "Don't give up hope, Brendan. Maybe you can have someone testify for you. I will, if you want. And there's also that scientist in the Weather Institute! Remember him? Maybe he'll throw in a good word if you call him. And May –" He noticed Brendan flinch when he said the girl trainer's name. "What? Did you two get in _another _fight?"

Brendan shuddered, peeking his head above the bush. "Not really a fight," he answered, looking at his surroundings. He noticed May and Wally come out of the Pokémon Center and quickly ducked, pushing Chris's head down as well.

"Gah, watch the hair!" Chris complained, fixing his hair. "What was that for?"

"That's why I'm not talking to May," Brendan hissed, parting a few branches so the two boys could see Wally and May.

Chris peeked through the branches. He noticed Wally and May holding hands before May stood on tippie-toe and kissed Wally on the lips. "Oh, dude," Chris said sadly, shaking his head. "May is totally cheating on you with that green-haired guy. Bummer."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Brendan looked around shiftily. "I wish though."

"I knew it! I knew you liked her! So you're mad at her that she's with that green-haired guy?"

"Well, no. As long as she's happy."

"Ah, so you're mad at that green-haired guy because he's with May?"

"No, he's my friend."

"Ah, so you're totally blowing this situation out of proportion?"

Brendan glared at Chris who only smiled back sheepishly. "You don't get the situation," Brendan muttered. "I finally convinced myself that I do have feelings toward May, and the second I'm ready to admit it to her, she falls for another guy who I just became friends with after a bad rivalry! How twisted is that?"

"Oh yeah, very twisted," Chris murmured, still watching the two gallivant around town. "You don't have a problem with May and you don't have a problem with that green-haired kid, but you choose to avoid talking to, let alone seeing, said two people together who are probably the two people you care the most about while traveling. You choose not to feel happy for them, thus making yourself not happy. Very twisted indeed."

"I wanted her to be with me ..."

"So you tell her that, not me."

Brendan sighed, licking his lips. "I don't want to though. I don't want her relationship with Wally to be effected because I tell her I like her."

"Even if it does effect it drastically," Chris replied, "maybe it'll show her that she's not that serious about that dude."

"I suppose." Brendan let go of the branches, hiding Wally and May from his line of sight. "But back on topic, if the police know you're an ex-Magma member, seeing as you have a trial later, why are you hiding?"

Brendan's question was quickly answered as he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned to the side and saw a small girl, no older than five, with long, wild, ebony hair, her hands to her mouth to contain her giggling. Her pretty eyes, a dark brown speckled with red, glittered in the sunlight and her yellow summer dress blew in the wind. "I see you, Chris!" the girl said through her fits of giggling.

"We were playing hide-and-seek of course," Chris replied, standing up and stepping out of the bush to stand next to the small girl. He picked her up and spun her around, making the girl giggle even more. "How did you find me?"

"I saw his foot!" Lina said happily, pointing at the white-haired trainer.

"Ah, Brendan seems to cause nothing but trouble," Chris replied, rolling his eyes, stilling carrying the little girl.

"Very funny," Brendan retaliated back, standing up to stretch his legs. "Who are you?"

"Lina," the girl said, smiling cheerfully, making Brendan smile back.

"She's my sister," Chris added, using his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Lina's ear. "Much to my dismay."

"Aw, you love me, Chris-y!" Lina said, wrapping her arms around Chris's head and messing with his hair.

"So the police are after members of both teams, including grunts and admins?" Brendan asked, fidgeting a little.

"Kind of. They're more after the high leaguers that have done a lot of damage, like you and me," Chris replied, kicking a nearby pebble into the water. "I'm mostly being trialled for the destruction and tampering we did at the Weather Institute. I'm going to assume that you're going to be trialled for the same reason. Our prints are all over that place. Grunts that are caught will get misdemeanors or fines but nothing too huge. Really, what did they do anyway?"

Brendan looked at Wally and May across the lake worriedly. "May was one of Team Aqua's top trainers. Do you think the police are after her too?"

"Didn't you call me a few days ago and tell me that May was outed for being a spy?" Chris sat down at the edge of the lake, putting his sister down so she could dip her hands into the water. "Archie wouldn't label her as one of his top members if that were the case. Don't worry about her. It's you that you should be worried about."

"I suppose." The white haired trainer sat down next to Chris, squeezing his knees to his chest. "Chris, if you could take it all back, would you have ever joined Team Magma in the first place? Do you regret it?" Brendan asked curiously.

The former Team Magma looked between Brendan and his little sister who happily giggling at a Goldeen that popped its head out of the glossy lake surface. "No, Brendan. I wouldn't," he answered simply. "I would never risk her – my family for anything. I don't think you should regret anything, Brendan, even if the outcome isn't in your favor. You can only learn from it and move on. Good things will happen out of bad situations."

"We're not talking about Team Magma anymore, are we?"

Chris smirked. "Make of it what you will."

"Young man, are you Brendan Birch?"

Brendan and Chris turned around and looked up, shielding their eyes from the blinding sunlight. He was a tall man, probably more than six foot, with slick backed hair and a pair of shiny sunglasses covering his eyes. Despite the hot weather, he wore a thick, black overcoat, his tan khakis crisp and straight. A PokeNav was clipped on his belt next to a gun in his holster.

Looking at Chris and then back at the man, Brendan nodded, standing up. "Yeah, I'm Brendan Birch."

"I need you to come with me then," the man said, motioning toward the police station nearby. "I need to ask you some questions about your journey." He then began to walk toward the center, assuming that Brendan would follow.

Brendan started to take after him, panicky, looking back and forth between Chris and his sister and the man. Chris shrugged and mouthed "Good luck" as Brendan went into the police station.

* * *

The white-haired trainer sat uncomfortably and nervously on the edge of the wooden chair inside the police station, his head darting back and forth between the police officer scribbling notes on a sheet of paper and the window, the blinds in front of it partially open.

"Mr. Birch?" Brendan snapped his head toward the police officer who called him.

"Yes?" he managed to peep out through his dry throat.

The police officer pulled out a piece of paper from his pile and read from it. "According to Maxie's statement, you were one of his top members?"

Brendan shrugged. "Define what 'top' means. Anyone could be 'top' according to him."

The police officer furrowed his eyebrows. "You and a few other admins were put in charge of break in for the Weather Institute. When the police in that area investigated that area, your prints, along with eyewitness testimonies, were found all over the wreckage."

"Yeah. About that –"

"You were also seen at Team Magma's Mt. Chimney invasion and Team Aqua's Mt. Pyre intrusion."

"I was, but –"

"We also obtained video phone proof of you calling Maxie on several occasions."

"Technically, he called-"

"You're also friends with another Team Magma member. Chris, if you must know. We looked though his PokéNav phone calls and lists you calling several times, especially during the Mt. Pyre and Mt. Chimney invasions."

"... Are you going to let me explain?"

"That's not my job," the police officer said nonchalantly, putting the piece of paper down. "My job was to gather evidence of your work with Team Magma, regardless of the way Maxie got you to perform it. Proving yourself innocent is for the trial."

"The trial?" Brendan asked curiously.

"It's not an 'official' trial," the police officer explained. "You'll be set in front of a panel of five jurors. We are aware that Maxie has used ... unfortunate means to make people do his dirty work, so the trial is a chance for people to explain themselves. If you can prove to them that Maxie has somehow deceived you, then you'll be let go. If not, you'll find yourself behind bars for quite a long time.

Brendan gulped nervously as the officer began to scribble down notes. "You are free to go," the officer muttered. "Your trial is assigned for tomorrow afternoon, and don't even think about leaving town."

The white-haired trainer tapped on his leg anxiously, his head darting between the officer and window again, afraid to move, let alone leave the room. He then noticed a curious blue-eyed, brown-haired girl trainer peeking through the other side of the window, wonder sketched all over her face.

* * *

With his head between his knees, Brendan sat on a polished wood bench, running his fingers through his hair. He pulled at the itchy sleeves of his button up shirt, adjusting his tie so it didn't feel so tight around his neck. The sunset shone through the window's blinds to the left of him, leaving stripped shadows on his body. Tapping his foot nervously, he listened to the gavel pound itself in the room past the heavy oak doors and the scraping of chairs against the wood floor. The hushed murmurs loudened themselves as the doors opened, releasing several people dressed formally in suits and long skirts. The white-haired trainer looked up and saw Chris run toward him, beaming.

"Well?" Brendan asked nervously, trying his hardest not to throw up over his nice shoes.

"Innocent!" the former Team Magma partner said with a grin, pumping a fist in the air. He then sat next to Brendan. "Nervous?"

Brendan put a hand against his stomach. "Just a little bit," he muttered, fighting the butterflies in his stomach. "I really wish I had solid evidence like you though."

"Hopefully that letter from the professor in the Weather Institute and our text messages will set you free," Chris replied. "You'll be fine, Brendan."

"I hope."

"Brendan Birch," said a juror inside the room.

Weak in the knees, Brendan slowly go up, Chris following suit. "I really hope," he muttered again, taking shaky steps toward the entrance.

As soon as Brendan and Chris entered, the police stationed at the doors closed them swiftly with a pleasant swishing noise. Brendan made his way down the aisle, trying to ignore the hushed whispers of the audience on either side of him, and stood in front of the panel of jurors sitting at an elaborately carved oak desk. He gulped again, adjusting his tie.

The juror in the center pounded the gavel against the wood, staring at Brendan. "Mr. Brendan Birch," he muttered, adjusting his glasses that rested lightly on his nose. "You are being trialled for conspiring with Team Magma through your vandalism of the Weather Institute. What do you plea?"

Brendan had to work up saliva to talk. "In-innocent," he managed to sputter out.

"What evidence do you have to offer to prove your plea?"

Shakily, Brendan pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket and walked forward, placing it on the juror's table. "I've compiled a list of text message that myself and another former Team Magma agent sent, suggesting ways of how to escape Maxie's team. The sheet below that one is a letter from a professor in the Weather Institute. Said former Team Magma agent and myself revealed to him that we were both forced or deceived to work for Maxie."

The jurors huddle together to read Brendan's evidence, one of them clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "While this is good evidence, Mr. Birch, there is also evidence proving your loyalty to Maxie through your texts to Maxie."

"To be fair, that was an act," Brendan retaliated. "You couldn't exactly let Maxie know you were against him without ... dire consequences."

The jurors huddle again, one of them pointing to the Pokéballs clipped to Brendan's belt. They them separated themselves and the juror on the end said, "If you please, will you release your Swampert for us."

Brendan rubbed Muddy's Pokéball. "Why?" he asked.

"I will tell you why once you do," the juror quickly replied.

Shrugging, Brendan plucked out Muddy's ball from his belt and enlarged it with the press of a button. He threw it up into the air, the ball spinning, before releasing the Swampert from his ball, clueless as usual. Brendan caught the ball and pocketed it quickly. Brendan then went wide-eyed; he knew why the jurors wanted to see Muddy.

"Will you please remove that bandanna from your Swampert's tail."

Brendan froze, scared stiff.

"Mr. Birch?"

Muddy poked Brendan in the shoulder to snap him out of his daze. Blinking twice and shaking the jitters from his body, Brendan bent down and untied the bandanna from his Pokémon's tail nervously. He heard the people gasp as he stood up, revealing the light trace of the Team Magma symbol etched into his Swampert's tail.

"Now tell me," the juror on the edge said. "Why would a Team Magma member who was seemingly tricked and deceived have an etch of the Team Magma symbol on his Pokémon's tail?"

Brendan didn't know how to respond, still wide-eyed. The murmurs in the crowd started to get louder and more anxious as Brendan continued to stand there, trying to think of a response.

"I have something to say," a voice from behind the rows of people said quietly.

Brendan and the rest of the audience turned around and noticed May looking back at him nervously, her hand tightly gripping Wally's.

* * *

Muddy: I wish I talked more. :(

No u.

Muddy: No u.

Kay.

Muddy: Wait. :(

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/23/09**


	55. The Fatal Kiss? Again?

**Disclaimer**: KEKEKE NO.

Muddy: Waka, waka, waka.

Flare: Pardon?

Muddy: I'm going to be a Pacman ghost for Halloweenies! (grins)

Flare: (shakes her head) That's nice and all, but doesn't Pacman make that noise? Why are you making it?

Muddy: Duh. Because I'm going to be a Pacman ghost!

Flare: ... Again, only Pacman makes that noise.

Muddy: I don't get it, Flare. Why you tryin' to get all up in muh Kool-Aid? Kool-Aid is delicious! But not that damn purple flavor. Damn you, purple drank!

Flare: Anyway, it's Breezy's 98th birthday today. Be nice to her since she wasted her birthday writing. Lul, loser.

Ya rly. I look so young because I eat Pacman dots.

Muddy: NO! That's my job! ;-;

Flare: For the last time, Pacman ghosts don't make the "waka, waka" noise nor do they eat the dots. That's _Pacman_.

Muddy: No, you're wrong! ;-;

Flare: (rolls eyes)

Anyway, enjoy. I had massive writer's block with this chapter. So be warned that it might seem... rambly. I should be okay for the chapter after this as the plot progresses instead of being at a standstill like this one.

* * *

**The Fatal Kiss? Again?**

**

* * *

**

Wally let go of May's hand and gently nudged her forward. Nervously, May, her left hand clutching a paper bag, stepped forward, looking back and forth between the people on either side of her. She stopped next to a curious but petrified Brendan, giving him a small, warm smile.

"And who are you, young lady?" asked a juror.

"I am May Maple," May replied, fidgeting a little. "I have been friends with Brendan for awhile, and I'd like to speak on his behalf, perhaps maybe change your mind on his innocence. I also think I have a reliable piece of evidence to explain that Magma Mark on his Swampert's tail."

The five jurors looked around at each other and murmured before the one in the center stated, "Proceed."

"Right." May paced the floor in front of her as if in great thought, rubbing her chin with her free hand. "Brendan Birch," she began, "is an ass."

The audience gasped a little and Brendan mentally slapped his forehead; she wasn't going to help him, was she?

"From the very first moment I met Brendan here, I knew that he was cocky, egotistical, and a sore loser. No matter what we do – whether it's a battle or even drinking water – he always needed to win. He never liked to listen to anyone else either. It was always his way or no way. When I learned that Brendan had joined up with Team Magma, I begged, I pleaded, I told him to leave them. He said he wouldn't; he said he was right. He told me that Team Magma had plans to change the world for the better and that they only wanted to create more habitat for Pokémon and humans. However, they never told him the whole truth. They never told him that they planned to drain Hoenn's oceans in half thought out and crazy attempts."

"So what are you saying, Miss Maple?" asked a juror, adjusting her glasses.

"I'm saying my poor, idiotic friend here was tricked," the girl trainer replied with a grin, patting a disgruntled Brendan on the head. She then opened the brown paper bag she clutched in her left hand, pulling out a cold, sharp, and metal device, dropping it onto the juror's table with a satisfying thunk. She pointed at the jagged lines that looked a lot like teeth.

"I was recently captured by Team Aqua, and while I was in that area, I happened to notice this fun, little torture-like device," May explained, pacing in front of the jurors again. Flattening the paper bag into a flat sheet, she slipped it in between the jagged teeth of the device. "Now, if you look closely ..." May slammed a closed fist down on the device with a loud snap. She then pried the jaws away from each other and pulled the flat paper brown bag out of it, holding it in front of the audience and the jurors. In the center of the bag was a M-shaped emblem, much like the one on Muddy's tail.

"What is the meaning of this device?" asked the center juror, poking the metal contraption with a pen. "Why would Team Aqua have a device that showed the Magma Mark? It makes no sense."

May only shrugged. "That I really can't explain. Maybe Archie stole it from Maxie. Maybe Archie made it to taunt his loyal followers with and use it as a threat to brand their Pokemon as Team Magma followers. Either way, I believe that this contraption can be forced into a Pokemon's mouth, and when they bite into anything, they leave that mark. Much like what happened to Muddy. Muddy spent a day recuperating in Fortree's Pokémon Center when his tail was bit by something in the water. To our horror, we discover his scar shaped into the Magma mark."

"This will certainly help us with our case load. I was always a little suspicious of how Archie knew so many trainers with the Team Magma embedded in their Pokémon's skin," the juror in the center muttered, carefully grabbing the device and examining it up close. He then motioned for the four other jurors to huddle together as the murmured in hushed whispering, glancing between the device and the numb Brendan Birch.

Through the corner of her mouth, May whispered to her friend, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm o-okay," Brendan replied through a shaky voice, watching the jurors debate with fearful eyes. "How did you even know I had a trial?"

The girl trainer smiled sheepishly, cupping Brendan's shoulder with her hand. "I always know when you're in trouble, stupid."

The white-haired trainer felt Beautiflys flutter around in his stomach from May's touch. "Not that I don't appreciate it or anything, but why did you come? You didn't have to."

"Don't you remember that one day on the bridge to Rustboro?"

Brendan tried his best to remember, trying to roll his eyes into his head as if it would help him think. Giving up, he finally shook his head. "No," he muttered. "What happened?"

"I remember it perfectly." May's eyes sparkled as she thought. "We just got out of the Petalburg Forest, and we were walking across the bridge. Then you grabbed my hand and looked at me. You made me promise that I'd never leave you, even if you did something really stupid or got me really mad. I made a promise, Brendan, and I have no intention of breaking it."

Brendan smiled at May who grinned back in return. "I forgot about that," he whispered, feeling much better about his trial. "Thank you, May."

The girl trainer squeezed Brendan's shoulder. "Any time, B Boy."

The jurors broke up from the huddle as the juror at the center of the table cleared his throw, straightening up his papers. "With Miss Maple's testimony and your PokéNav records, Mr. Birch, myself and the other jurors have reached a verdict. We believe that you have reasonable evidence to prove that Team Magma Leader Maxie has tricked and deceived you into joining his team. All charges will be cleared. You are free, Mr. Birch."

Brendan ran his hands through his hair in relief, pointing his head up and letting out a deep breath in relief as May squealed in delight, hugging Brendan tightly while the crowds behind them clapped. Dropping his hands to his side, he made May let go of him and walked over to the jurors' table who were still flipping through his papers. Extending a hand, he smiled hugely. "Thank you," he said, eased with the fact that he was free.

The center juror smiled back and shook his hand. "I knew you couldn't have done it, Brendan."

Confused, the boy pulled his hand away and turned back and walked down the long aisle way where Chris, May, and Wally were waiting. Brendan pushed open the heavy oak doors of the courtroom, his friends following him, stepping outside into the sunlit hallway. He threw his arms into the air, very relieved. "Gah, I'm so happy right now I could kiss you, Chris!" he said giddily.

Chris stepped back a bit. "Believe me; the favor is not needed."

"We should celebrate!" May chirped, sliding her hand into Wally's and swinging both of their arms back and forth.

"May, we had plans for dinner after this, remember?" Wally brought up, looking at the girl trainer through the corner of his eye.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot in the heat of the moment. Brendan, can I-"

Brendan stopped the girl trainer by holding his hand out. "It's fine, May." He mustered up a small smile. "You two have fun."

May let out a little giggle before pulling Wally by the arm toward the exit. "Have fun!" she said, waving at the two boys she left behind. She pushed open the doors, letting a warm breeze blow through before closing them behind her. Brendan watched them through the door's windows until they disappeared over the horizon.

Chris looked at Brendan worriedly as the white-haired trainer continued to stand in silence, his eyes still cast toward the window. "Are you ... okay?"

Brendan, hands in his pockets, nodded. "Actually, I think I am. Despite how crappy this entire ordeal was, I think it helped me get over May in a strange way."

"... How?"

"Well, I realize how small, trivial things like liking someone don't compare to almost losing your freedom and being eternally afraid of 'dropping the soap.' Yeah, I still like her, but I'm not going to let it effect me that badly."

"Drop the soap?"

Brendan laughed. "Never mind. C'mon, let's get out of here."

* * *

Juice dribbled down his chin as Brendan bit into a burger, chewing thoughtfully. He gazed outside the window where the calmness of the lake reflected the silver beauty of the moon. Putting his burger down to take a sip of his drink, he turned his attention back to Chris who was stirring a French fry in his ketchup and resting his head on his hand, absent-minded. "What are you doing?"

Chris snapped out of his daze and sat up straight, clearing his throat. "Thinking really," he muttered. "You know, the League is in a few weeks."

Brendan shook his cup, the ice clinking against the sides. "I know. So much to train and so little time. Do you have all your gym badges yet?"

Chris shook his head. "No. Only need the one in Petalburg. Couldn't be effed to travel there. Shouldn't be too hard though. I'm more worried about the competition. These trainers are the best of the best. What do you think the chances of one of us winning?"

"Hmm ... not very," Brendan said thoughtfully.

"Very confident aren't you?"

Brendan chewed at his straw. "Just being realistic. I mean, we both just started our journey. Some of the people in the competition have been trying to win for years. Have you ever heard of a rookie winning?"

"Well, no. But still. What's the point of competing if you think you're going to lose?"

"I said there wasn't a very good chance of winning, not that we had no chance of winning. There's still a _slimmmm_ chance. Slim. Besides, winning isn't everything. I'm hoping I at least rank high enough to qualify for the Battle Frontier. They just opened it, you know."

Chris looked at Brendan, confused. "And that is ...?"

"I'm not sure of the details but it's some huge place filled with all different types of battle styles. Or something." Brendan took another sip of his drink and looked out the window. Going wide-eyed, he ducked down, almost hitting his head on the table. He laid on his belly across the vinyl red booth and barely peeked his head above the window, motioning Chris to do the same.

Rolling his eyes, Chris laid flat on his stomach on his booth's seat and peeked outside the windowsill. He noticed the backs of Wally and May walking to his right. "So why are you hiding from them?"

"I don't want them to think I'm spying on them!" Brendan hissed, still watching sneakily.

"... But you're not."

"Yeah, but I don't want them to think that!"

"... But you're not!"

"I know! But still! I don't want them to think that!"

Chris sat up, frustrated with Brendan's antics, rolling his eyes again. "I thought you didn't care about her and them or ... it."

Brendan hesitantly sat back up, shoveling a few curly fries into his mouth. "I am. It's just-" He stopped talking as a man in a black suit slid into the booth next to him, his brown hat barely covering his eyes which were covered by darkly-tinted sunglasses. One hand was on the lid of his hat and the other hand was busy scribbling words on a yellow notepad. Chris pointed at the odd man, confusion in his eyes. Brendan only shrugged in return before poking the man in the shoulder. "Um, excuse-"

"Ah!" the man screamed, picking up his notepad and blocking his face with it.

"Ah!" Brendan jumped back in his seat, knocking his knees on the bottom of the table. Cursing and rubbing his knee, he observed the man closer as he dropped his notepad a little, peering at Brendan above the top of it. "Oh crap, I know who you are ..."

"Yes!" the man cried triumphantly, standing up, lifting the notepad, throwing off his sunglasses to reveal the stars sparkling in his eyes. "It is I! Agent Percy Perry Patterson or Agent Triple P-" Brendan snickered at this like before "-and I am here today to ask you, Ruby, why are you not with Sapphire? You are ruining the canon!"

Chris, amused, raised an eyebrow. "Who is Ruby – or Sapphire for that matter?"

Agent Triple P pointed at Brendan who was glared back at him annoyingly before putting his sunglasses back on. "Him! This boy who calls himself 'Brendan' - whoever the hell that is – is actually Ruby in disguise! And I will prove it!" Before Brendan could react, Agent Triple P grabbed the poor boy by the shirt collar and threw him on the tile ground, sitting on him.

"Oh, my god – this man is not my parent!" Brendan cried, beating his fists and struggling on the floor as Agent Triple P sat on his back, magnifying glass gripped in his right hand. He carefully examined Brendan's hair, "hmm"-ing to himself.

"It does look real ..." Agent Triple P muttered, plucking one and examining it in the light. "Maybe it's not fake hair."

"That's because it's not fake!" Brendan screeched, finally pushing the agent off his back and standing up, brushing the dirt off the front of his clothes. He then reseated himself. "For the _last_ time, I am _not_ Ruby! I don't compete in contests, my hair is connected to my head, and I am not with this Sapphire girl, whoever the hell she is! So LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Inprobale!" cried Agent Triple P, his voice filled with pride. He stood up and put both hands on the table, leaning into it and to get closer to Brendan's face.

"It's improbable ..."

"I know! You agree?"

"Well, I was just correcting your statement as inprobable isn't a word-"

"Aha!" Agent Triple P cried victoriously. "You agree! You admit you are Ruby!"

Brendan blinked twice, amazed, his mouth gaping, before he turned to Chris, covering his mouth. "See what I have to deal with?" he muttered to Chris who laughed in return. He then turned his attention to Agent Triple P who was peering at him through the top of his sunglasses. "All right. Humor me. Why am I suppose to be with this Sapphire girl?"

Agent Triple P clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Ah, that blow to your head those many years ago must have effected our memory. Don't you remember?"

"Well, if that blow to my head effected my memory ..."

"Ah, right. To cut a long story short, you protected Sapphire a long time ago when you were both attacked. Etcetera, etcetera, a few years later, you finally made the connection that it was Sapphire you saved as children all that time ago and that you loved that one girl you saved – even though you forgot before that moment – and you finally admitted it to Sapphire and ... yeah."

Brendan scratched his head, confused. "So ... who's Sapphire again?"

Agent Triple P slapped his forehead. "Don't be so dense, Ruby."

Brendan rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I am not this Ruby guy. I'm just kind of curious about why you keep confusing me with him. In fact, some guy at Lilycove confused me with him and made me enter a Pokemon Contest as him. It was odd. So this Ruby guy ... He kind of admits that he likes this Sapphire girl from when they met when they were younger?"

"You were there," Agent Triple P replied coolly. "Now the question is, why is that ... Wally thing with her?"

"Ah, so this guy must think Sapphire is May," Chris chimed in. "Maybe you should take a note from this Ruby guy and do what he did."

"Meh. Different scenario," Brendan muttered. "I mean, I'm sure this Ruby guy doesn't have Wally in his way."

"On the contrary, Ruby!" Agent Triple P exclaimed. "Wally's with Sapphire now!"

"Ugh, that's - never mind. You'll say it's 'inprobable' anyway." Taking another bite out of his burger, he eyed Agent Triple P oddly. "You know, it's not my fault this Sapphire girl is out of canon. Why don't you go bother her about it?"

Agent Triple P jumped out straight up again, raising a finger like he thought of the idea himself. "Brilliant! I'll go track down Sapphire and tell her that she's doing it wrong!" And with that, Agent Triple P grabbed his yellow notepad and dashed out the door, his coattails trailing behind him.

Chris shook his head, dipping a fry in ketchup and shoving it in his mouth. "What a strange fellow," he murmured after swallowing. "This Ruby guy kind of lives the opposite life of you, don't you think? I mean, he's a Pokémon Coordinator and you're a Pokémon Trainer, two very different styles. He apparently has fake hair and your hair is real. He's not a sissy when it comes to telling a girl that he likes her and you are. Neat-o!"

"I am not a sissy!" Brendan yelped. "I already told you why I can't!"

"And I told you why you should. Brendan, if May doesn't really like Wally and you help her realize it by telling her, then it's all the better for you. If she doesn't change her mind and she still thinks that she likes Wally, then nothing will change."

"It'll change no matter what."

"Things changed the moment you figured out you liked her, whether you actually tell her or not. Your feelings for her changed, right? You might as well tell her."

"Meh. Maybe. I still think it's a bad idea. Besides, I have bigger fish to fry. You know, we're both heading in the same direction since I'm going home to Littleroot to train and you need the Petalburg gym badge. Why don't we travel and train until the League? It'll be fun."

Chris looked at Brendan skeptically. "Don't you travel with May though? Don't you want to wait for her until she gets her last two badges?"

"She has Wally. She'll be fine," Brendan retorted. "Besides, imagine how awkward that would be. I'm sure she'd want me to leave her so she and Wally can ... 'bond.'"

Chris shrugged, watching as a waitress refilled his drink before dropping the check off. "I suppose. I was planning on leaving tomorrow morning if you want to come."

"Sure. I need to leech off your Charizard to fly out of here anyway."

"Haha."

Brendan grabbed the check and fished out his wallet from his pocket, throwing some money on the table and pinning it down with the ketchup bottle. He grabbed his backpack from the floor and stood up, Chris following suit. "Think I should bother telling May I'm leaving, Chris? Maybe I can just avoid her until tomorrow."

"Well, it'd be rude if you didn't talk to her," Chris muttered, checking Brendan's money on the table before reaching in his pocket and shoving crinkled money into Brendan's hand. "She might wait for you." Brendan pushed open the glass doors, the cool night air greeting the two boy trainers. In a fun twist of fate, Wally and May were nearby, sitting by the lake's edge while admiring the view. "Speak of the devil. Looks like you have no choice now."

"Hey, guys!" May turned around and waved at Brendan and Chris.

Brendan sighed, running a hand through his hair nervously as Chris nudged him toward the couple, giving him an urging look. "May?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. "Can we talk in private for a minute?"

May looked at Wally for a second, and the green-haired trainer nodded in response, letting her go. "Um, sure, Brendan." She pushed herself up from the grass, wiping her back and bottom free of dirt. Brendan motioned her to the wall of a nearby building, secluded from Wally and Chris. Fiddling with her hair, holding it down so it wouldn't blow in the breeze, she finally asked, "What's up?"

Brendan couldn't help but admire how pretty May looked in the light of the golden streetlight that was above her head. Shaking his head to snap out of it, he looked May straight in the eye and said, "I think we need to split ways."

May stood in silence before laughing a bit. "That's a good one, Brendan," she replied with a smile. Her smile then began to fade as she noticed that Brendan wasn't laughing with her. "You aren't serious ... Right? I mean, your dad even told us to travel together, remember?"

"Yeah, but I also figured that was until our Pokémon got stronger and we could fend for ourselves," Brendan added. "And besides, you're with ... Wally. I don't want to interrupt any bonding you two are going to do. It's so close to the end too. We wouldn't be missing out on much travel time."

"Yeah, but ... I don't know, it would have been nice to have finished the journey we both started together ..." May trailed off, looking away from Brendan, crossing her arms. "Do you want to split up?"

"May, it's not like it's the last time we'll see each other. I was going to go home tomorrow, and when you get your final badges, we can meet back up in Littleroot. It's for the better for you – for your relationship with Wally. You don't need me tagging along and whining." Brendan laughed, trying to lighten the mood. May wasn't buying it though. "It'll be fine – Why are you crying?"

May scrunched her nose and wiped furiously at her eyes. "I'm not! I don't want to split up!"

"C'mon! It's going to be so awkward!" Brendan complained, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

"I don't care!" May huffed. "I promised-"

"Forget the promise!" Brendan ran his hand through his hair again in frustration. "It's not going to be for that long. I just want to train early, so I'm not screwed over for the League."

"No! You care more about this stupid League than me? That's not fair! You're not-" May's eyes widened as Brendan grabbed her around the waist and held her tight before pushing his lips against her lips. He slowly pressed her back into the wall, leaning into her, grabbing hold of her hands, running a thumb against the soft, smooth texture of her palm. Rather enjoying it, May kissed back for a second before snapping out of it and pushing Brendan back, slapping him clear across the face. "I have a boyfriend, you dolt!" she screeched.

Brendan smirked, rubbing his cheek. "Then go back to him and get to know him better. Without me." He walked past the fuming girl trainer and met up with Chris again, the two boys retreating to the Pokémon Center.

"I'm going to wait for you!" May screamed at Brendan's retreating backside. "I promised you I'd never leave, even if you do something as stupid as that! I'm going to wait because I know you're a good guy! I know you wouldn't leave me!"

"Damn, Brendan. What did you do?" Chris asked, the girl trainer still screaming at their backs.

"I ... I kissed her, I think," Brendan said in awe, blinking. "Holy crap! I kissed her!"

Chris shook his head and patted his friend on the back. "You're a weird one, Brendan Birch."

* * *

Early the next morning, Brendan and Chris were busy getting prepared to leave Sootopolis and fly toward Petalburg. Chris was busy feeding his Charizard energy Pokéfood for the long flight while Brendan was shuffling stuff in his backpack, making sure he had everything with him. He then looked back toward the Pokémon Center where the sleeping May still was and sighed, walking over to Chris and his Charizard, admiring the inferno at the tip of the Charizard's tail.

"Good, Charcoal. Are you ready, Brendan?" Chris asked, tying down his backpack to Charcoal's side. He then climbed up and mounted the fiery beast, making room for Brendan to sit behind him.

Brendan looked back toward the Center. "I feel kind of guilty. I mean, leaving her without saying good-bye."

"That and you kissed her _when she has a boyfriend_," Chris muttered, grabbing Brendan's backpack and tying it with his things.

"Heh. Yeah." Brendan climbed onto the Charizard and held onto his rubbery orange skin as tight as he could. Chris lightly dug his heels into the Charizard's side, and with a huge flap of his powerful wings, Charcoal kicked off the ground, circling around the lake before elevating a bit, flying into clouds and out toward the sea. "Bye, May ..."

Meanwhile, back in the Sootopolis, a distraught and angry girl trainer, still clad in pajamas decorated with dancing Torchics, pressed a hand against the cold glass of the window, wrinkling her nose. She brushed her brown hair out of the way of her dark blue eyes frustratingly, her hand closing into a fist.

"Jerk."

* * *

What a ... meh chapter lol.

Muddy: ;-;

...Fine, Muddy, Pacman ghosts eat dots too.

Muddy: :D

Flare: No they don't!

Muddy: ... ;-;

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/18/09**


	56. Back Home

Someone sent me a PM but doesn't have the option to PM or e-mail back (or I'm blind) soo... I'll answer here? o.O Yes, I am aware that Brendan's white hair really isn't his hair, but that was realized wayyy too late in the story. Technically, Brendan really has no reason to wear that hat in my story (this story isn't canon with the manga if you can't tell by the Agent Triple P encounters). He never got bashed up by that Pokemon like Ruby in the manga did, thus no scar to hide. Plus that's awkward description. "He ran a hand through his fake white hair that covered his black hair" is much too wordy than just saying he has white hair. White hair is kwler anyway. :3

Muddy: This chapter is about a bunch of nothing. I not keeding.

Yeah. It's another one of those "I had to write this chapter just to get from point A to point C but had to write the boringness of point B" kind of chapters. It is important though in terms of characters. So ick. :( Enjoy.

* * *

**Back Home**

**

* * *

**

With a tremendous roar and a mighty flap of his wings, the Charizard landed on the dirt road near the exit of Petalburg, kicking up sand and scaring off wild Taillows. Brendan groggily slipped off the fiery beast's back, landing on his bottom with a rough thud. Groaning, the boy trainer stood back up, brushing dirt off his back while Chris slid off his Pokémon's back easily, landing on his two feet. He untied both of their bags, throwing Brendan his backpack.

"That was a long flight," Brendan muttered with a yawn as Chris returned his Charizard to his Pokéball. "My butt feels like it's going to fall off."

"Don't be a sissy. We only flew for an hour." Chris rolled his eyes as the two boy trainers entered the quiet town of Petalburg. Stores were beginning to open the doors, including the gym. "Perfect timing. What Pokémon does the leader use?"

"Uh, the Slaking line," Brendan answered. "You should be fine."

Chris shrugged, making his way up the stone steps and stopping in front of the oak doors of the gym. He placed a hand on the doorknob and took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Want to come watch?" he asked, his eyes still closed. "I don't mind cheerleaders."

Brendan shrugged. "I will if you want me to though I was going to walk home and see my mom. She's been dying to see me ever since I told her I was coming home."

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just meet up with you later. You live in Littleroot, right?"

"Yeah."

"All right. When we're done, I'm going to find you a nice chick to hook up with."

Brendan rolled his eyes but smiled at his friend all the same. "Whatever, Chris. Good luck."

Chris smiled in return and pushed open the oak doors, letting the scent of incense escape. He closed them behind him, creating a small breeze that brushed through Brendan's hair. Brendan, one hand grasping his backpack strap, took off down the path toward Oldale Town, nostalgia flooding his mind. He remembered his very first day of adventure. May was annoying him with her ignorance, Muddy was a cute, little Mudkip, and the days were much more simpler.

Oh well.

Kicking up dirt, Brendan quickly made his way to Oldale Town. The small town was sleepily waking up. Shopkeepers were opening their doors, and Pokémon from the Pokémon Center were groggily treading the field, stretching. He looked up toward the path to the north, remembering where May and he had their first battle. Smiling warmly at the memory, Brendan trekked down toward Littleroot, noticing the curious family of Zigzagoon at the side of the road staring at him. He hopped over the ledges (almost falling on his face as he jumped the last ledge) and entered the small town of Littleroot. Immediately, he ran toward his home. The two story home towered over him, engulfing him in its shadows. He hopped over the white picket fence (even though the gate was over), careful to not step on his mom's prized rose garden before running toward the cherry wood door, fumbling with the brass doorknob. He pushed it open, stumbling in, immediately noticed his mom sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee from her mug.

"Mom!" he shouted happily, alarming his mother who jumped in her seat. "I'm home!"

There was a pause before another voice asked, "Where's May?"

"Uh." Brendan then noticed a middle aged woman sitting across his mother at the kitchen table, one hand gripping the handle of her mug and the other tapping the polished table. Breaking the news that the two weren't traveling together anymore came sooner than expected. "Not ... with ... me?"

May's mother frowned. "You left her behind?"

Brendan started to get nervous. "Well, no. She and Wally are ... traveling together now. And I thought it would be awkward to travel together with them ... uh-"

"Together?" May's mother said with a laugh. "I know, Brendan. May already told me. I was just teasing. It's a shame really that you two aren't together." She wiped crumbs on the table into a napkin and looked at Brendan's mom. "We would have had such cute grandchildren, don't you think?"

Brendan's mom smiled. "It's a little too soon to be thinking that, Caroline."

"Oh, I know, but still."

Looking back at her boy, Brendan's mom beckoned Brendan to come over. "What? Are you just going to stand there with your mouth gaping like a Magikarp, or are you going to give me a hug?"

Gawking at the awkward conversation that took place, Brendan regained composure and ran over to his mom, bending over to hug her. "I missed you, Mom."

Brendan's mom hugged back before letting go, reaching up to ruffle Brendan's hair. "I miss you too, you brat." She smiled as Brendan leaned against the table. "Did you visit your dad yet? He was excited to see you."

Brendan shook his head. "No. Mind if I head over and say a quick hello?"

"Go for it, kid. Don't forget we have dinner at the cute little restaurant in Petalburg later. Bring your friend Chris along if you want."

"Will do." Brendan waved at his mom and May's mom before leaving his house, walking down the dirt path toward his dad's Pokémon lab a few blocks away. He entered the lab, noticing his dad sitting at a desk, his feet on the table and his hands behind his head. Noticing his son, he quickly straightened up, fiddling with some papers to look as if he were busy. "Brendan!"

"Hey, Dad!" Brendan said excitedly, walking past the beeping machines while looking at them curiously.

After his eyes swept over the appearance of his son, Professor Birch murmured, "So let me see."

"See what?" asked the curious trainer.

"Don't play dumb." Professor Birch stood up and walked around his desk. He reached down toward Brendan's pants.

Brendan stepped back a bit, alarmed. "Whoa, what?"

Professor Birch rolled his eyes, grabbing one of Brendan's Pokéballs and enlarging it with the press of the button. He then threw the ball up, releasing one of Brendan's Pokéballs, marveling as soon as the Pokémon took form. "So cool ..."

Silver hovered mid-air, looking between Brendan and his dad curiously.

"I've never seen a Shedinja before," Professor Birch remarked, walking around Silver's new Shedinja form, admiring him. "Coooool."

"It's nice to see you too, Dad." Brendan rubbed the back of his neck at Professor Birch gaped at Silver. "Mind if I go outside to see the other Pokémon I caught?"

Professor Birch waved off Brendan, poking Silver's side and giggling. "Yeah, yeah; go ahead."

Brendan rolled his eyes and walked past his dad toward the back door of the laboratory, entering the grassy field where Brendan's, May's, and other trainers' captured Pokémon lingered in the field, most of them grazing. Immediately, a gray blob of Pokémon flew into his arms, cuddling into his chest. "Thermo! It's good to see you, pal!"

Thermo squeaked a few times, floating upward to rest on Brendan's shoulders. Brendan continued to tread the field, crushing dandelions beneath his shoes, wandering the field to see if he recognized other Pokémon he caught. A Zigzagoon. A Slankoth. A Numel.

"This would be a good area for the team to rest, don't you think so?" the boy trainer asked the Pokémon resting on his shoulder.

Thermo squeaked in response as Brendan plucked each Pokéball from his belt and threw them into the air. The balls enlarged on their own before each one split in half, releasing Brendan's team. Dazed, Muddy, Sirius and the rest stretched their backs before wandering the area aimlessly but curiously.

Professor Birch walked out, Silver hovering behind him. "Recognize anyone?" he asked.

"A few," Brendan replied. "I should really train some of these guys, huh? It would be good to have a nice mix of everything at the League."

"Well, c'mon then." Professor Birch motioned Brendan to follow him. "I'll show you some Pokémon I think will help you win the League."

Meanwhile, Muddy plopped down in the grass, yawning as Sirius and Cinders trotted over and sat down next to him. "We should get Brendan a chick," he said after a few moments of silence. "Like that Chris boy wanted him to do."

"Mm, what's a chick?" Cinders asked curiously, leaning her head to the side.

Muddy rubbed his chin. "Like a baby bird Pokémon maybe? Wha? Why would Brendan need a baby bird? Is it needed in the human process to mate?"

"What is ... mating, Muddy?"

Muddy's ignored the question asked by the young Vulpix as he got onto his feet, pacing the ground. He quickly turned around as he heard the quiet cries of newborn Taillows resting in their nests. "Ah ha! There are some chicks! I'll just take one of them and give it to Brendan!" He ran over toward the oak tree and stood at its base, looking up to where the baby Taillows' nest was.

"I don't think he means like a ... baby bird Pokémon type of chick, Muddy," Sirius muttered, watching the Swampert climb up the tree awkwardly. "I think he meant like ... a human girl. Like 'chick' is slang for a human girl."

"If he meant that, then why didn't he say human girl?" Muddy asked, pawing up the tree. "Humans are so silly!"

"Right. They're the silly ones. Okay."

Muddy, smirking, eventually reached the branch where two cheeping Taillows were crying out, their cries growing louder as they noticed a large, blue paw swatting at them. "Almost ... got ... it," the Swampert said through gritted teeth, pushing his body up so he came eye to eye with the baby Taillows ... and an angry Swellow. The Swellow, eyes glinting, rapidly pecked at Muddy's head. Muddy, screaming, let go of the tree, falling on his back before scurrying back onto his feet, running from the mother Swellow that immediately began to chase him.

"Omigod, help!" Muddy cried, teary-eyed as he tried to get away from the mother Swellow. "Someone stop her!"

Cinders and Sirius sat on the sidelines, their heads going back and forth as they watched Muddy run around. "I told you it wouldn't work," Sirius muttered as Cinders giggled.

"You said you didn't think this was the right type of chick!" Muddy yelled, tripping over a rock and falling flat on his face. The mother Swellow landed on his back and swiftly pecked on his head. "Ow!"

Cy headed over toward the amused Vulpix and Mightyena, Sapphire in his arms. "That cannot be good for his head," he muttered, the Lantern watching the Swampert amusedly.

"No matter what happens to his head now doesn't seem to matter much anyway," Sapphire mentioned, smiling.

"True. I suppose we should help the poor fool." Cy shifted Lantern to his right arm, pulling his telekinetic spoon from behind his ear. With his spoon glowing in a bright, purple energy, he pointed his spoon at Muddy, flinging the light toward him. Muddy, who's hands were protecting his head, magically levitated mid-air, scaring off the mother Swellow. Cy quickly flung his spoon to the right, sending the screaming Swampert flying.

"What was the point of that?" Sirius asked.

"There was none really," Cy answered, smirking.

Back with Brendan and the Professor, Professor Birch was busy showing two of Brendan's caught Pokémon. "... Here's your Vibrava," said Professor Birch as he pointed toward a Pokémon that looked like a dragonfly. He then turned his attention toward a heavy, steel-type Pokémon. "And that over there is your Lairon."

Brendan watched closely as the Vibrava and Lairon dueled. With a flap of her dark green wings, the Vibrava kicked up a storm of dust, sending it whizzing toward the steel Pokémon. The Lairon seemed unnerved by the attack as he lifted his hefty, metal-plated foot, his light blue eyes flashing. He stomped his foot down, sending powerful shock waves through the ground. The Vibrava quickly dodged it, her thin but strong legs pushing her off from the ground so she could take flight. With her own set of emerald-green eyes glaring, she released a high pitched scream from her mouth, the sound waves engulfing the Iron Armor Pokémon. Wincing, the Lairon sprinted over toward the Vibrava, his iron plates smacking together and tackled upward, sending the Vibrava flying.

"Actually, I don't remember catching a Lairon or Vibrava. I do remember catching a Trapinch in the desert and an Aron at Dewford," Brendan muttered, scratching his head. "Not unless they-"

"Evolved on their own?" Professor Birch said with a chuckle. "I was surprised when I saw them evolve too. Those two, despite looking odd together, have a close relationship and have been helping each other train. With your help, I'm sure they can get even stronger. Why don't you go get better acquainted with them?"

Brendan looked at the squeak happy Castform on his shoulder. "What do you think?"

Thermo squeaked again, nodding happily. "You'd be good for them, Brendan!" he said in his bubbly voice.

"Well, okay. Here it goes!"

* * *

The Vibrava and Lairon looked at each other suspiciously as Brendan squatted in front of them, still babbling on like an idiot.

Brendan took in a deep breath before continuing is ramble. "... And I've been on the road for awhile with this girl, but she ended up going with this one guy I hated for awhile, but we ended up being kinda somewhat friends, so I'm not really mad at them, but I still feel betrayed, you know? So yeah, I ended up traveling back here with my friend Chris, and I left May behind, and I'm sure she's really mad at me for ditching her, but it would have been really awkward! So here I am!"

"Mm, didn't you just ask what his name was?" the Vibrava asked the confused Lairon.

"I ... think so," the Lairon responded. "What just happened?"

Brendan smiled nervously. "Oh right. My name is Brendan. Heh."

"Riiight." The Vibrava fluttered a bit and landed on her fellow Lairon's back. "And you're our trainer? I don't recall being caught by you."

"It was one of those ... instant catch and sent to the lab kind of things," Brendan replied. "But, uh, I'd really like to get to know you both better. You two seem to like training. I like training. We're a good match up."

The Lairon looked up at his companion. "What do you think?"

"I suppose we could give it a try," muttered the Vibrava. "I mean, what harm do you think it can-" She jumped up a bit as a Swampert fell from the sky with a loud thud, flopping over onto his belly and squirming around like a fish out of water. "Uh?"

"That's my Swampert, Muddy!" Brendan said with a grin.

"... Good to know," the Vibrava replied, unsure.

"Pacman ghosts do eat the dots ..." Muddy murmured, his eyes going teary for some reason.

"He's uh ... not right in the head," Brendan muttered as the Lairon and Vibrava looked at him with wide eyes. "I promise that the rest of my team isn't as ... dim-witted at him."

Muddy hopped on his feet and pointed at Brendan. "You!"

Brendan pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yeah!" Muddy snarled viciously. He then laughed, throwing his paws over his mouth while running away toward the other Pokémon.

"...What?" the Vibrava asked, bewildered.

"It's better not to ask," Brendan replied, sighing. "I suppose I should give you names." He tapped a finger on his chin. He stood up and paced in front of the Vibrava and Lairon. "Did you guys have nicknames for each other?"

The Vibrava and Lairon simultaneously shook her and his head.

"Hmm ... Well, tell me about yourselves then," Brendan said, sitting back down, his legs folded.

"Well, I like to fight, ever since I was little," the Lairon said proudly, his chest puffing. "I, in fact, saved my family from falling boulders when I was a mere Aron back in Dewford!"

"I like the color green," the Vibrava said with a smile.

Brendan looked up toward the sky in wonder. "Since you're so brave, I'll call you Valiant," cried Brendan in delight, happy that he could actually think of a nickname. "And I'll call you Emmy. I always liked that name, and it's kind of short for Emerald which is the color green."

Lairon, now Valiant, shrugged. "Fine with me."

Emmy flapped her wings in joy. "I like it!" she said with a smile. "It's a nice name."

"Great!"

Brendan pulled off the backpack strapped around his shoulder and fished inside it, pulling out a few Pokeblocks. He threw some toward Emmy and Valiant while holding one up for Thermo to eat. "So you've two have been best friends since you were a Trapinch and Aron?" Brendan asked, feeding the Castform on his shoulder a Pokeblock. Thermo nibbled at it eagerly, grinning.

"I suppose. It was kind of a weird friendship at first, but we made it work. We put our differences aside once we both learned that we we like to fight." Emmy smiled, tapping her feet against the hard metal of Valiant's back. Valiant shook his back, kicking the Vibrava off, laughing afterward at her cold glare.

"Interesting," Brendan replied, tickling a giggling Thermo absent-minded. "Want to go meet some of the other Pokémon? I'm sure they'll be curious about you two."

Valiant and Emmy looked at each other again before nodding. "Sure," they said in unison.

* * *

"For Latios's sake, Muddy. Stop crying," muttered Silver, floating behind the crying Swampert's head. "It's embarrassing."

Muddy sniffled, looking at Sirius for comfort. Unfortunately, the Mightyena was dazed out, his eyes closed and his head swaying back and forth, making the Swampert more weepy. "W-why did you throw me, Cy?" he asked, pressing his back against the tree trunk while looking at the Kadabra through weepy eyes. "Why?"

Cy rolled his eyes and teleported away, making Muddy cry even more.

Sirius finally opened his eyes and jumped back, shocked. "What the hell is this? I was peeing!"

Silver looked at Sirius with disdain. "Gross."

"Muddy! Everyone!" Brendan followed by the clunky Valiant and fluttering Emmy ran by, catching his breath soon after. "I want you guys to meet - why are you crying?" Brendan finally noticed his starter Pokemon weeping. "Are you upset over that Pacman ghost thing? For the last time, the ghosts do not eat the dots. Get over it."

"Never!" Muddy shouted, jumping onto his feet and pounding a paw in the air. "You are a liar, and a cheat."

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you guys have some new teammates," he said with a grin. "I figured it would be a good idea to have a good mix of everything for the League."

"Oh neat!" Muddy said, jumping on his feet and getting up into the bewildered Valiant's face. "I'm Muddy! That Mightyena that looks constipated is Sirius, and that Shedinja is Silver. He was a Ninjask, but Brendan killed him."

Brendan gaped. "I did not kill him! He's still here, isn't he?"

"Not as a Ninjask," Muddy said, smirking, crossing his arms.

"Pfft." Brendan sat down next to Sirius as his Pokémon surrounded him. "How do you think Wally and May are doing, Muddy?" he asked curiously.

Muddy paused. "Who?"

Brendan slapped his forehead. "It's only been a day and you already forgot who May is?"

"May has thirty days, doesn't it?" Muddy replied. "Wait. No, that's wrong! How does that song go? Thirty days hat member, who really likes the month September, residue has thirty one except for February which is a freak. So May has thirty hats? Doesn't she wear bandannas?"

Brendan ignored Muddy and got lost in thought, imagining how May was and how Wally was handling it ...

* * *

Wally put his head underneath his pillow and May continued to screech at him, debating whether he was trying to drown out the girl's shrill voice or smother himself. He pulled down on the pillow and clenched his eyes shut, hoping it would go away. This was to no avail though as the girl trainer quickly tugged the pillow away and pulled Wally's head up, staring straight into the fearful green eyes of her boyfriend.

"Well?" she said, furious.

"Um ... You look pretty?" Wally said unsure as he grinned innocently.

May threw Wally's PokéNav on his bed in a disgusted manner. "Who is ... _she, _Wally? Who is this Anna girl, and why are you telling her you'll meet her for dinner later?"

"For the last time, May." Wally grabbed his PokéNav and clipped it on his belt. "That text was sent _weeks_ ago, before we were even together! Check the date on it. She's just a friend anyway. I don't see why you're so mad over it."

"Hmph." May crossed her arms and huffed, collapsing on her bed and blowing up her bangs. "I am NOT mad."

Wally sat down next to May and sighed, resting his hands on his thighs. Drumming his fingers on his legs, he stated, "You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion." He immediately cussed in his head after that; it was a bad move to say something that moronic.

"_Out of proportion?_" the girl screeched, hopping onto her feet and pointing a finger at Wally's chest. "You think I'm taking things 'out of proportion?' I have every right to act 'out of proportion,' you jerk!" And with that, May stomped out of the room, her fists clenched at her sides before slamming the door behind her, causing the window to shudder in its frame.

Wally sighed and put his head in his hands before running his fingers down his face, pulling his eyelids down, making a goofy face. Wally wasn't sure how long he has been with May (May, oddly and creepily enough, knew to the exact minute though), but it has been pure _hell_. Maybe May was expecting too much and it wasn't all that she expected. Maybe he wasn't good enough. Maybe she was PMSing – as usual. Either way, Wally had a peeved off girlfriend to deal with, and deal with it he shall.

Pushing himself up the bed, he grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder, leaving their warm room in the Pokémon Center and entering the brisk lobby. He walked up toward the center desk where Nurse Joy was busy filling out papers.

"Rough morning, Wally?" she asked with a smile, looking up from her papers.

Wally made a muffled noise between his closed lips, looking sideways. "I suppose," he answered, turning his attention toward Nurse Joy. "Do you have my Pokémon healed, Nurse Joy?"

"Of course. Congratulations on winning against Juan by the way!" Nurse Joy bent down to pick up a tray that held Wally's healed Pokémon, and he couldn't help but notice the deep crevice that was Nurse Joy's cleavage. He quickly averted his eyes to the ceiling as Nurse Joy stood up straight again, handing Wally his Pokéballs. "Here you go!"

"Thanks." Wally clipped his balls to his belt. "Do you know where-"

"She left, heading toward the diner," Nurse Joy interrupted with a smile. "Good luck."

"I'll need it," Wally said with a grimace before heading toward the exit, pushing open the glass doors while greeted by the sea breeze. With the doors behind him closing with a swift swish, Wally begrudgingly trudged toward the diner where May apparently was. Before he could press a hand on the steel bar of the diner's door, May pushed open the doors and embraced the confused green-haired trainer in a tight hug.

"Uh," he said, patting the girl on the back.

"I'm so sorry I ran out like that!" she said, squeezing him tighter. "I'll try not to do it again!" She let go of Wally and pulled out a cupcake from her fanny pack. "See! I even got you this cupcake to celebrate our two day, three hour and twenty seven minute anniversary!" She pushed the cupcake into Wally's hand, her eye twitching and a manic smile on her face.

Wally was scared now but took the cupcake anyway. May was a little too willing though as she squished it into Wally's hand further, the frosting getting all over both of their hands.

_Please don't get mad_, the boy pleaded in his head.

"Why did you squish my selfless present in your hand?" May screeched, jumping up and down angrily, making Wally freeze in his spot.

"It's still good, see!" Wally argued, lifting the cupcake by its wrapper. The squished cupcake plopped over and fell toward the floor, making Wally inwardly panic more.

"What the hell? Why did you do that?" May yelled, pushing her index finger into her boyfriend's chest.

Wally just stood there, too flabbergasted to answer back.

"Well, say something!" she screeched.

_Ah crap. You better talk before she yells at you for not talking,_ Wally thought in his head. _But talking has got you in trouble today! Now what's in between silence and talking?_

"Wharrgarbl," Wally said, his tongue flopping in his mouth.

May eyed the green-haired trainer oddly. "What does that mean?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Wally muttered, wiping the frosting onto his pants and unclipping his PokéNav from his belt, flipping open the cover. He began to busily punch the buttons in as if typing, watching May wearily out of the corner of his eye.

"Who are you texting?" May demanded, trying to look at Wally's PokeNav.

"Geez, no one!" Wally lied, shifting his hand so May couldn't see the device.

* * *

An annoying beeping noise snapped Brendan out of his peaceful state. Clipping off the PokéNav from his belt, he read a new text message he got from a certain green-haired friend.

This girl is driving me crazy, it said.

Closing the PokéNav with a satisfying shut, Brendan smiled to himself, leaned his back against the back of the tree and enjoyed the cool wind that blew across his face.

Life was good.

It was then that Brendan noticed a man sitting in a bush while taking pictures of him.

* * *

Flare: Nice ramblings. It seems like you started and never ended. I give you four stars.

Shut up. Hopefully, I can get somewhere with May returning next chapter. o.-

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/18/09**


	57. The Invite

**Disclaimer**: NO.

I should be studying for my communications test. Hmm ... (opens the book and reads a sentence). And ... we're ... OVER IT!

Muddy: (cheers)

HOW COME NO ONE ELSE BESIDES ME VOTED FOR DISCLAIMER IN MUH POLL? Disclaimer is the most awesomest Pokemon ever.

Flare: Why are you typing in caps?

Why you hatin'? Stop hatin'. It's not nice. Oh lookie, you're tied with Muddy so far. Let's change that. You don't deserve to be on top.

Flare: Pfft.

Enjoy!

* * *

**The Invite**

**

* * *

**

Brendan quickly stood up and began to walk toward the guy in the bushes who put his camera down and pushed himself up onto his feet, stumbling in the process. Advancing on the clumsy photographer, Brendan quickly hastened his pace when the photographer started to run toward the open field. Before he knew it though, the photographer whipped out a Pokéball and threw it out in front of him, releasing a powerful blue beast with thick, red wings and jagged, sharp teeth. With his tail lashing about, the beast, a Salamence, let out a mighty roar, his claws digging into the ground. The mysterious man hopped onto the Salamence's back while he was still running, and the Salamence flapped his mighty wings, taking into the blue sky. Brendan stopped in his tracks and looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun's blinding rays. The silhouette of the man and his Pokémon quickly disappeared behind the thick, white clouds.

"Weird," Brendan muttered, still looking up as Muddy and Sirius caught up and stood behind him. "Who do you think that was?"

Sirius scratched the back of his head with his back paw. "Um, stalker?"

"Maybe. Why would someone want to stalk me though?" Brendan asked curiously.

"Because you're so handsome." Muddy rubbed a paw against the top of Brendan's hair, ruffling it up. "Who's my handsome boy?"

Brendan laughed a little. "I am," he said sheepishly. He then realized it was his Swampert telling him this and slapped his paw off his head, fixing his bandanna back into place. "Ugh, knock it off."

Muddy crossed his arms and huffed. "Ah, well! See if I'm affectionate toward you ever again!"

The white-haired trainer rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hopefully that's the last time we see that guy, but I have a feeling it won't be." He looked up toward the sky, trying to see if he could spot the form of the strange man and his Salamence. He closed his eyes as he felt the wind brush against his face. "Until then though ..." He then opened his eyes, smirking. "We've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

A week later after the weird encounter with the photographer that sat in the bushes, Brendan was busy training his Pokémon. He not only worked on their special moves but also their physical stamina. Currently, the boy trainer was running with his Mightyena by his side, darting up and down the route toward Littleroot and Petalburg.

Panting, Brendan made it back toward Littleroot and stopped outside the wooden fence of gated Pokémon connected to his dad's lab. He took a long drink out of a nearby water fountain, splashing water over his face and into his white hair, soaking his infamous bandanna. Standing up straight, he scratched his Mightyena behind the ear. He adjusted the gray, loose slacks around his waist and fanned air into his sweat-stained white shirt. He then noticed his Swampert standing within the gates, piles of huge, gray boulders surrounding him. Curiously, he watched as Muddy picked up a boulder and put it back down before picking it up again.

"Muddy, what are you doing?" the boy trainer asked inquisitively, watching his starter Pokémon stack heavy boulders on or around each other.

"Playing with boulders," simply replied Muddy, rubbing his chin before moving a boulder on his left to another boulder pile on his right.

"And why are you playing with boulders?" Brendan questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Muddy smiled. "I like boulders."

Sirius, still at Brendan's heels, looked at Muddy, confused. "Shouldn't you be training or something? Or doing something ... useful?"

"I can't," Muddy replied like it were obvious.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And why not?"

Muddy blinked twice at Sirius, dropping a boulder to the ground with a huge thud. "Because I'm playing with boulders," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sirius huffed in annoyance. "The League is next week! Don't you want to make sure you're the best you can be?"

Muddy paused, thinking about this as he picked up a boulder. "No," he finally replied. "I want to play with boulders." And with that, the Swampert returned to his busy schedule of stacking boulders and knocking them over.

Sirius sighed and shook his head as he hopped over the wooden fence of the gated field. Brendan sat on the fence and continued to watch Muddy play with his boulders, shielding his eyes from the sun with his right hand. Then suddenly, a gust of wind coming from nowhere blew at him, almost knocking him over. Groaning, Brendan regained his balance, noticing the body of a Charizard hovering above him, slowly lowering itself to land. The occupant on its back didn't bother to wait for the Charizard to hit the ground though, for he flung himself toward the ground, colliding with the poor white-haired trainer and sending them both toward the ground.

"Ugh, what's your hurry? And why do we keep ending up in these awkward positions?" Brendan pushed his twitching friend off him and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

Chris, laughing, rolled onto his back and sat up as well, brushing the dirt off his clothing before returning his confused Charizard into its Pokeball. "You'll never believe who I saw flying this way," he said between laughs.

"Who? And what?"

Brendan's question was quickly answered as he watched an elegant and graceful Altaria land nearby – May's house to be exact. She sang a quiet, peaceful tune to herself that contrasted with the two bickering trainers that hopped off her back. One, a girl who seemed to be the main source of all the yelling, was busy fumbling with the knob of the front door while the other, a boy who had his head bent down and seemed to be in his own thoughts, nodded every now and then. The girl finally let out a tremendous, piercing scream that sent Taillows scattering from their trees before opening the door of the house and slamming it behind her before the poor boy could enter.

"Oh. That is funny," Brendan said, grinning. "And sad."

"And imagine. That could have been you," Chris muttered as he watched Wally return his Altaria while rubbing his forehead.

"That was me for a good portion of my journey except it was only during certain days of the month and probably four times better than that." Looking shiftily to the side, Brendan noticed the pained green-haired trainer walking toward the two still sitting on the floor. "Wally! You're looking ... Not ... so ... good?"

Sighing, the tired green-haired collapsed on the floor next to Brendan and Chris, pulling out several strands of green hair from his head with such ease (such an action made the other two boys gasp in horror). Whistling absentmindedly, Wally swung his backpack around and zipped it open, digging around in it and pulling out a clear, plastic bag filled with green strands – probably his own hair.

"Uh ... Wally?" Brendan asked tentatively.

Wally continued to do his own thing, opening up the odd plastic bag and throwing in his newly produced strands of hair, zipping it back up. He held the bag in front of his dazed eyes, staring at it.

Brendan and Chris looked at each other, confused, before Brendan poked Wally in the shoulder, waving a hand in front of the green-haired trainer's face. "Wally?"

The green-haired trainer was not fazed as he continued to stare at his weird collection.

"WALLY!"

"Geez, May! I told you I wasn't –" Wally blinked twice, stopping mid-sentence. "Oh, she's not here."

Brendan, an eyebrow raised, said, "Are you okay, Wally?"

Wally scratched his head, putting the bag of hair down. "Yeah. I ... I learned how to tune out her voice. Guess I went too far and tuned out everyone."

"How is that going anyway? I mean being with May," Chris piped in. "We saw you two fighting earlier."

"Oh, you know ..." Wally hummed to himself, looking to the side. He then waved the plastic bag full of his hair in front of Brendan and Chris. "Do you know what this is?"

Brendan scratched his head. "Uh, grass?"

"No. This is my hair. This is all the hair I've pulled out as a result from May yelling at me." Wally lowered his head, patting a thin patch of hair on his head. "See how there's no hair here? That's where I'm pulling my hair out."

Brendan eyed Wally weirdly. "... Why?"

"She's driving me insane, Brendan."

"So insanity equals pulling your hair out?"

"Well, no. It's the way I cope with it." Wally sighed, throwing his bag of hair into his backpack. "She's ... confusing."

"Says the guy that keeps the hair he pulls out," Chris murmured, rolling his eyes.

Wally ignored this. "One minute she's perfectly happy and the next she's completely nuts. I'm not exaggerating the time difference either. It literally is a minute difference. And I don't think I do anything for her to trigger it. She doesn't usually get mad over small things, does she?"

"Small to a girl is not small to a guy, Wally," Brendan pointed out.

"Heh, I won't think dirty of that at all," Chris muttered.

"Sleeping on the wrong side of her?" Wally asked. "I got yelled at that for awhile."

"Well, maybe. She used to hit me for being in her 'personal space' when we first started traveling together."

"Eating soup with a fork?"

"That is kind of weird, Wally."

"Putting my right shoe on before my left shoe?"

"... All right, I get your point." Brendan smiled as his baby Vulpix crawled underneath the fence of the field and skipped over toward him, landing in his lap. He scratched behind her ear, and she purred happily. "Has she always been like that since you two got ... uh-"

"Together," Chris finished for him.

"Yeah ..."

Wally thought for a minute. "Pretty much," he finally answered. "Some days are better than others, but she's flipped out at least once everyday since we've been together. Am I doing this ... dating thing wrong?"

Brendan shrugged. "Maybe. That or she's one of those insane girlfriends. Either way, what are you going to do?"

"This is how I figure it. According to her plan, we'll get married at twenty-two since it's not _too_ old and not _too_ young_. _The ceremony will be at Petalburg because it is a nice wholesome town with a beach nearby for the reception. After a year and a half of marriage, we'll have a few kids – two boys and a girl, the girl being the youngest of course – each kid two years apart in age. May will be a successful coordinator, and I will take up my dad's business of TM making. We'll have a cute little house near the sea – we're still deciding what sea – with a porch and a hammock. And hopefully, just hopefully, I'll die of a stroke before I hit thirty," Wally replied thoughtfully. "Think it'll work out?"

"Ah, well." Brendan continued to pet Cinders lovingly. "That's some high hopes."

Wally shook his head, sighing. "I knew it. I-I'm screwed, aren't I?"

"Why don't you just tell her that she's ... nuts?" Chris asked. "Maybe she'll loosen up. Heh, I think dirty again."

"Then she'll just flip out. It won't change anything," Wally murmured. "I just have to accept the fact that she owns me. Eep."

"It could be worse!" Brendan said optimistically. "You could be whipped and only have one arm."

"Brendan ..."

"Oh, come on! Having only one arm while being whipped by your girlfriend is obviously worse than having both your arms and being whipped by your girlfriend you have to admit."

"Touché."

Brendan smirked as he continued to scratch his Vulpix behind the ear, feeling her body go limp as sleep overcame her. He cooed at the cute sight, looking down at her tiny, breathing form when a quick burst of light flashed before his eyes. His head quickly shot up, spotting the same man from a week ago hiding behind the trunk of an oak tree, busily taking pictures of the trio on the floor. Not wanting to alert the man this time, Brendan carefully pushed himself forward, feeling the small yet sharp pebbles on the ground roll underneath his bottom. One hand held onto Cinders and the other hand helped him move along. This strange action caught the attention of the two boys next to him however.

"Are we having an ass race again? I told you I don't like them," Chris remarked, watching the boy trainer scoot forward slowly.

Brendan nudged his head in the direction he was going. "Don't you see that guy hiding behind that tree? He was spying on me earlier last week. I tried talking to him earlier but he just flew away, so that's why I'm trying to sneak up on him."

"Doesn't 'sneaking up' on someone require them to not be able to see you?" Wally asked curiously, scratching his bald spot.

"Whatever." Brendan continued to move forward, getting closer and closer to the photographer. Unfortunately, the photographer spotted Brendan's movements and quickly fled like a wild Pokemon.

"Dammit!" Brendan cursed, hopping onto feet and running after the strange man after carefully placing the sleeping Cinders into Chris's hands. He turned his head around to look at his Swampert stacking boulders. "Muddy! Come on!"

* * *

Earlier with the Pokémon though ...

Flare managed to escape May and her ramblings to her mother about how Wally could be "such a better boyfriend" by sneaking out the back door. Sighing in relief as the bright sun warmed up the feathers pricking up on her skin, she made her way down a small path that lead toward the Pokémon Laboratory. She fixed her eyes on a familiar Swampert and ran down the rest of the path, stopping at the fence.

Noticing the huge piles of boulders surrounding the Swampert, Flare looked at Muddy, disturbed. "What are you doing?" she asked, leaning on the fence.

Muddy smiled as he looked at the Blaziken. "Playing with boulders."

Flare, confused, looked at the half awake-half napping Sirius curled up next to one of Muddy's boulders. Sirius only shrugged before resting his head on his two front paws. "Why don't you do something ... not stupid. Like reading." She looked around and saw an old, dirty pamphlet stuck in some thick shrubbery. Bending over and pulling it out, she hopped over the fence and handed the Swampert the pamphlet that was damp with dew from the grass. "Here."

Muddy took it and stared at it. "What is this? A sandwich with words?" Disgusted, he threw it behind him and continued stacking boulders together.

Flare rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Whatever."

Sirius nudged the back of Flare's leg with his cold nose, sending shivers down her spine. "It's been awhile," he said. "Did you bring presents?"

Flare scoffed. "Presents?"

"You know. Like how sometimes guests bring presents over to someone's house as a kind of housewarming gift. Did you bring me one?"

"Isn't that for people that just moved into a new home?" Muddy remarked, peeking his head over a huge pile of rocks.

Sirius glared at Muddy who smiled back innocently. "Don't you have boulders to stack?" he snapped.

"... Yes." And with that, Muddy ducked beneath his boulders.

"Well?" Sirius prodded at Flare's leg again, smiling sheepishly.

Flare, rolling her eyes again, pulled out a plastic container of cookies from behind her back, throwing it on the ground next to Sirius. Sirius, grinning from ear to ear, eagerly ripped the top off of the container and dove his face into it, reappearing a few seconds later with cookie crumbs smeared around his mouth and the tip of his nose covered in chocolate.

"You're so odd," Flare muttered, watching the Mightyena, amused.

"Why you hatin'? Stop hatin'. It's not nice," Sirius replied, throwing a cookie up in the air and catching it in his mouth.

Muddy peeked his head above his pile of boulders, his paw busily chipping at a rock he held. "How is May anyway? She looks ... well?"

"She's still normal around us," Flare replied, hopping onto one of Muddy's boulders gracefully and sitting on it to rest. "But she totally flips out around Wally. It is odd. One day she's all, 'I love him sooooo much, Flare,' and the next day she's all, 'He's so stupid and irritating, and I hate him, Flare!'"

"Hmm." Muddy paused from building with his boulders. "Maybe she knows about his ... unusual situation with Team Aqua and how he pretty much killed her-"

"_Could have_ killed her," Flare corrected. "And she's still alive, isn't she?"

"Yeah, well. That could be pissing her off. Er, not the being alive thing. The Wally betraying her thing."

"Then why would she be with him?"

"Some sort of ... twisted revenge?" Sirius piped in between his snacking.

Flare shook her head. "Nah. I don't think she knows. She would have accidentally brought it up in one of the arguments by now I think. You know how she ... explodes into a massive ball of emotion when she gets mad ..." She trailed off as she saw May's Delcatty creep by, stopping near the base of one of Muddy's towering boulder piles.

"Sirius?" Skittles said quietly, her voice squeaking soon after. "Can I talk to you in private?"

Sirius licked the chocolate off his nose. "Uh, sure, Skittles," he said. He stood up and grabbed the plastic container with his teeth, trotting after the shaking Skittles.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Muddy, who was still watching the duo until they were nothing but silhouettes, asked, "What was that all about?"

Flare snickered, covering her mouth with a claw. "Skittles was 'inspired' by May's 'romance' with Wally, so she's going to finally admit how she feels about Sirius."

Muddy gaped, his eyes wide. "Latios, finally," he muttered, smirking.

"Muddy! Come on!" he heard his trainer screech. He watched as Brendan took off down the path toward Oldale Town.

Flare looked back and forth between Muddy, who was still standing next to his pile of boulders, and the path toward Oldale. "Well?" she said, tapping a claw against the boulder. "Aren't you going to go after him?"

"In a minute," replied Muddy, picking up a boulder and hugging it close to his chest.

Flare's eyes widened as Brendan disappeared behind the thickets of the trees. "Muddy!"

"Oh, fine!" And with that Muddy, still gripping the rock, darted after Brendan, waddling awkwardly.

"Drop the rock, Muddy!" Flare shouted, watching the Swampert with amusement.

"Never!"

* * *

Brendan stopped in his tracks, water overlapping his shoes. He watched as the strange man took off swiftly over the smooth lake on the back of a Milotic, her long, snake-like body cutting through the water with ease. Her elaborately decorated blue tail waved back at him tauntingly.

"This guy sure has some fancy Pokémon," Brendan muttered. Just then, his faithful Swampert waddled next to him, still clutching onto a boulder. He eyed him weirdly and slapped Muddy's paw, making the poor being drop his rock. "Put that down!" he screeched, pointing toward the man and his Milotic. "We have to go chase them!"

Muddy gasped, looking down at his boulder. The rock looked so sad sitting in the wet grass – at least in Muddy's eyes. "It's okay. I've got you," Muddy said soothingly, picking up the gray rock and petting it. "Shh, baby."

Eye twitching, Brendan continued to point at the man and the Milotic who were getting further away. "Muddy, come on! Get in the water so we can chase them."

"Oh, fine." Muddy waddled over toward the edge of the lake and dipped a foot in it, quickly retreating. "It's cold!" he complained.

"You're a water Pokémon! You should be used to it!" Brendan slapped his forehead, frustrated. "You'll adapt! Just jump in!"

Muddy glared and carefully put down his rock, giving it a final pet. Taking in a deep breath, he slapped Brendan upside the head, making him fall face first into the water. "Yeah! How do you like that, jerk?"

Brendan sputtered, spitting out water from his mouth and rubbing the dirt out of his eyes. "Oh. It is cold."

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same train of thought," Muddy replied, smiling. "I will gladly chase after your stalker now." And with that, Muddy gave his rock a final loving look before jumping into the water. Brendan, sighing, hopped onto Muddy's back, and the duo took off after the man and his Milotic, quickly gaining on them.

"We almost got 'em!" Brendan said through clenched teeth, gripping onto Muddy's back. The details of the Milotic were becoming more apparent. "We've got to stop them! But how?"

"Hmm." Muddy looked around and ducked his head underwater for a quick second. He emerged and held his right paw up. Clutched in it was a small rock.

"Uh ... how did you get that?" Brendan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Muddy replied, shifting his eyes to the side. He lowered himself into the water to gain speed (though not low enough so Brendan was fully submerged) until he was head to tail with the Milotic. He kissed the rock sadly and reeled his arm back, throwing the rock at the man. The rock flew like a beeline, hitting the strange man square in the neck.

Gasping in shock, the man let go of his Milotic and fell into the water with a huge splash, making the chase abruptly end. The Milotic hummed her name, circling around the fallen man. Muddy slowed down as well, and Brendan stood up, peering into the clear water. Slowly, the man made his way back toward the surface, coughing and sputtering. He took off his round, black sunglasses off his face and wiped at his eyes before putting them back on. He shook his head rapidly, beads of water flying from his curly brown hair.

"Hello," he finally managed to mutter after his coughing fit. He cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his button up blue shirt decorated with white flowers. "So you've probably been wondering why I've been watching you."

Brendan nodded, bewildered.

"Ah, right. Let's take this to dry land though, shall we?"

* * *

"... So you're Scott? Don't you own the Battle Frontier?" Brendan asked, wringing out the water from his bandanna. He tied it back on, running his fingers through his hair, flicking drops of water everywhere.

The strange man, now known as Scott, pulled at his shirt in an attempt to dry it. He squeezed his loose shirt sleeves, water leaking out of them. "I am," he said. "I travel all across the country trying to find the best trainers. I've seen you on television a couple times, but you never know how those scenes are edited. So I tried watching you from afar to see you battle naturally. But all you seemed to do was have ass races with your friend."

"Yeah, well." Brendan rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously. "I did train them though, just not against a trainer. Did you at least see that?"

Scott nodded, smiling as well. "You have some interesting techniques and some interesting Pokémon."

Scott and Brendan simultaneously looked at Brendan's Swampert standing near the edge of the lake, hugging a boulder to his chest and crying quietly to himself.

"Rest in peace, young pebble," Brendan heard Muddy say between sniffles.

"How come you had to spy on me though? I could have easily shown you an actual battle with some trainer if you asked," Brendan questioned curiously.

"Like I said, I wanted to see you battle naturally," Scott answered. "Asking you to battle somewhat seems staged, don't you think? Either way, I like you, kid. I think you have great potential. If you do well in the league, you'll be guaranteed an invitation to the Battle Frontier." Scott fished inside his backpack and pulled out a business card. He handed it to Brendan. "Anyway, I have to go scout for some more people. Keep in touch, and good luck in the league."

Scott stood up and pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket. Enlarging it, he threw it into the air, releasing the same mighty Salamence from earlier last week. He mounted himself on the beast's back and took off into the air, waving good bye.

Brendan waved back, watching until Scott was nothing more than a black outline in the sky. Sighing, he read over Scott's business card and pocketed it before standing up, walking over toward his Swampert. "You feeling better, Muddy?"

"Yeah, I guess." Muddy nodded, wiping at his eyes with his free paw.

"You know," Brendan looked across the tranquil lake, a peaceful look across his face, "the league is next week. Do you think we stand a chance?"

"Um ..." Muddy paused. "No," he said firmly, grinning. He then offered Brendan his rock. "Want to pet him?"

"Ugh."

* * *

You know what's kind of depressing? HLBMA is almost ovah!

Muddy: My god, FINALLY.

Yeah. o.- I mean, in perspective, all I have left is the actual league and the ending. And that's only so many chapters. Amg. Anyway, yes, the actual league chapters are next. Get ready for onslaught after onslaught after onslaught of battles ahaha.

Muddy: Amg, naise.

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/23/09**


	58. Her Jerk

Oh, I lied. The onslaught of battles are in like ... not this chapter. :3 I forgot about Ever Grande and Victory Road. I also apologize for the late update. December is always a helluva busy month for me with finals and the holidays and whatnot.

Muddy: THIS CHAPTER IS THE MOMENT MOST OF YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

o.- Hush, you. Anyway, enjoy!

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**Her Jerk**

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"... So this is Ever Grande City," muttered Chris, his head craned up slightly to look up the thirty foot waterfall in the distance.

"No, that's a waterfall," Brendan replied smartly, smirking. "Above the waterfall is Ever Grande City, and the tedious yet hard task that is Victory Road. And past that is the entrance to the Pokémon League."

"Whatever."

Like buoys, Brendan, May, Wally, and Chris were adrift upon the backs of their water Pokémon (though Chris had to share the tiny yet efficient back of Brendan's Swampert since he had no proper water Pokémon of his own), staring at the massive waterfall. Even though they were far away, they could hear the mighty roar of water clashing with water. Cold mist drifted toward them, enclosing the four in something like a moist, thick blanket.

"Brendan, why is your Swampert holding that rock?" asked Chris, peering down into the water and noticing a hard, gray pebble clutched in Muddy's right paw.

"Oh, I don't know," muttered the white-haired trainer, running a hand through his hair and flicking up drops of water. He patted his Swampert on the head. "He wanted to bring that huge boulder with us, but it wouldn't fit inside his Pokéball. So I knocked a piece off that big boulder and gave that to him instead. He's still a little broken up inside about it."

"It looked so sad ..." said Muddy woefully, sniffling. He pulled the paw that was holding the rock out of the water and kissed it, tears forming in his eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Brendan peered back at the waterfall, shielding his eyes from the sun overhead. "So how do we get up?" he asked more to himself than the others.

"Well, if your water Pokémon is strong enough, you can scale the waterfall. Rather tricky though, and it's just easier to fly up there – if you have a flying type anyway," answered Wally, clutching onto the wet, scaly back of May's Gyarados. Shifting his weight so he could balance on the beast's back, Wally pulled out a Pokéball, enlarging it to the size of an orange. He thrust the ball the ball up, and the ball spiraled before releasing the elegant yet strong Altaria that Wally owned. Carefully, he stood up and grabbed hold of Altaria's soft, white feathers, jumping up a bit and mounting on her back.

"Good idea," remarked Chris, watching Wally and doing the same. He pulled out his Charizard's Pokeball and stood up on Muddy's back, throwing the ball in the air. Soon, Chris's Charizard appeared in a blaze of light, bellowing and flapping his wings, kicking up a breeze. Standing up and wobbling a bit on Muddy's shaky back, Chris jumped and grabbed hold of Charizard's orange hide, crawling his way up. He sighed in relief as he successfully mounted.

"And excuse me?" Brendan asked, absurd. "What about the people that don't have a big enough Pokémon they can fly on?"

"Tough," muttered Chris, stroking the back of his Charizard's neck. "Every man for himself."

Brendan couldn't help but gape. "You just rode on the back of my Swampert to get here, remember?"

"Yeah. How sweet of you." Chris clicked his tongue and dug the back of his heels lightly into the Charizard's flesh. The Charizard flapped his wings rapidly and took off in the direction of the waterfall. "Later!"

Brendan blinked twice as the form of Chris and his Charizard grew smaller and smaller as they approached the waterfall. "I suppose you both are going to leave me too."

Wally looked nervously between the waterfall and May, clutching onto his Altaria's feathers. May sighed, rolling her eyes and nodded, pointing her head toward the waterfall. "Yeah. Go ahead."

"Thanks," the green-haired trainer said meekly. He whistled gently toward his bird, and the Altaria nodded, humming a sweet song through her beak. Gracefully, the two took off, heading in the same direction Chris went earlier.

Brendan slid back a bit on Muddy's back since he had more room with Chris gone and looked up toward May and her Gyarados. "Well, aren't you going to fly like them?" he asked, kicking his feet in the water. He gagged a bit and stuck out his tongue as water backlashed at him, soaking his face in salt water.

May shook her head. "Nah – well, not unless it get too hard anyway." She smiled sheepishly. "We haven't really had a chance to well ... just be together. I mean, I've been home for two weeks, but with Wally and training and all, I haven't had much time to just talk to you, you know? Just the two of us again. It'll be nice."

Brendan smiled back. "Yeah. I think so too."

The two drifted in the sea in an awkward silence until May nudged Hydro forward. The Gyarados let out a tremendous roar, showing off his sharp teeth before heading toward the waterfall. Brendan shrugged and nudged Muddy forward as well, following the slithering Gyardos and his trainer. Eventually, the two reach the waterfall which was taller than Brendan thought.

"So!" he tried to shout over the roar over the waterfall, the spray soaking him, his clothes sticking tightly to his skin. "How exactly do we climb this thing?"

"What?" May shouted back, pulling off her drenched bandanna and wringing it of water. "Oh! Uh, I don't know! What do you think?"

Brendan continued to wipe water off his face, but it was to not use. Sighing, he unclipped a Pokeball from his belt and threw it up. The ball landed with a heavy plop in the water before releasing the silhouette of a Pokemon within. The silhouette made its way to the surface along with a bright, golden light. It emerged, revealing the slick, blue form of Brendan's Lanturn, her beacon glowing brightly to match the bright smile on her face. He then pulled his shirt off and hastily shoved it in his bag (not that it would help as his bag was soaked as well) before jumping into the water, grabbing hold of Sapphire and returning Muddy to his ball.

"So ... any ideas?" asked the girl trainer, wiping water from her eyes. She clamped her legs tightly around Hydro's sides, shivering from the cold water as well.

The boy trainer clipped Muddy's ball to his belt and looked up toward the top of the waterfall, taking in a deep breath and shivering a bit from plunging into the cold water so quickly. "Well, I figure Sapphire is more compact than Muddy, so I can hold her while grabbing hold of those rocks." Brendan pointed toward the sharp, jagged rocks that poked their peaks through the wall of water. "She can use Water Gun to push us up the waterfall and whatnot."

"You know I could just give up a lift up if you really wanted ..." May said tauntingly, sticking her tongue out.

Brendan quickly shook his head. "No. Chris is right. Every man for himself, and I am a man." He puffed out his chest, lifting his head triumphantly.

May rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, B Boy." She whistled to her Pokémon, and Hydro nodded, thrashing his tail in the water before kicking up, lifting his heavy body from the water, droplets running down his scaly skin. He hovered in the air, circling, before flying up a bit, looking down, amused by the struggling Brendan.

"Okay. Now how are we going to do this?" he muttered. He looked up, noticing the first rock. It was pretty far up but still within reach. Brendan looked down at Sapphire and scratched her head a bit. "All right, Sapphire. I need you to use your Water Gun to push us up to that rock there. See?" He pointed toward it, and Sapphire nodded in response. "Here we go!" He took in a deep breath and paddled himself in position with his back to the waterfall.

Brendan felt the insides of Sapphire churn, like she was building up water pressure. Before he knew it, Sapphire opened her mouth and released a powerful jet of icy water, sending of them both flying upward. Brendan whooped in excitement, but this excitement soon died when his head collided with a rock. May winced from the sick thud and as Brendan fell head first into the water. She nudged her Gyarados down to where Brendan's body floated.

"Brendan? Are you still ... alive?"

* * *

Brendan woke up groggily on the couch of a Pokémon Center, the top of his head wrapped in bandages. He sat up, feeling dizzy from doing so, and pressed a cold hand against his forehead. "Ugh," he groaned, trying to shake away the stars from his eyes. "What happened?"

"You flew up and then hit your head," said a voice next to him, patting him reassuringly on the knee. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Meh," was all the white-haired trained said. "I could be better. Where are we anyway?"

"The Pokémon Center before Victory Road," answered May, standing up in front of Brendan and bending over to examine his bandages. She ran a finger across the rough cloth. "I figured that your attempt to at least climb the waterfall was 'man' enough, so I picked you up and flew you here."

"Haha." Brendan stood up, his face inches apart from May's. Blushing a bit, he walked past her, walking back and forth in the lobby. He then walked toward the window, pressing his hands and bandage-wrapped head against the cold glass. The wide, gaping mouth of Victory Road's entrance stared back at him, a gloomy darkness trapped within. "We have to get past ... that?"

May walked next to him, covering his hand with hers. "Yeah," she replied, nodding. She then turned her head toward Brendan and smirked. "What? Is poor widdle B Boy scared?"

Brendan's head quickly snapped in May's direction. "What? No! 'Course not! What are we waiting for? Let's get to it!" Puffing his chest out again, Brendan marched toward the door, his head held high. He put his hand on the cold, metal bar of the door and pulled at it only to have the door careen squarely with his forehead.

"Be careful there, you manly man, you," May muttered, walking past Brendan and into the fresh air, a grumbling Brendan following behind her. The two walked toward the foot of the cave. They could smell the damp earth from within and could hear dripping water dropping into puddles. "Um. You first."

The boy trainer sighed and dug into his backpack for a flashlight just in case. Pulling it out, he stepped into the cave, May walking closely behind, grasping him by the shoulder. The cries of Zubats rung through the entire cave, and torches were lit on the walls, casting the cave in splotches of orange glow. Brendan spotted a bridge overhead, yet the walls the bridge connected seemed to steep to climb.

"This place is nuts," Brendan muttered, finding a staircase carved out of the hard rock. He climbed up it, reaching the bridge that he noticed earlier. "How are we suppose to find our way out of here?"

"Very carefully." May felt brave enough to let go of Brendan and walked next to him, admiring a line of Zubats that were sleeping upside down on the ceiling. "This reminds me of that one time in Dewford Cave. Do you remember that?"

"When you went down the ladder and jumped so squarely on my foot?" Brendan rolled his eyes.

May smiled and nodded. "You were a jerk back then. You deserved it."

"Whatever." Walking further in the cave, Brendan, funny enough, noticed a ladder heading down into darkness. "Guess down there has no torches." He turned on his flashlight, flicking the bright light down the hole where the ladder was. "Ladies first."

"Then what are you waiting for?" May quickly retaliated, her smile growing wider.

Brendan stared dully at her. "You know that you're implying that you're not a lady by making me go first." He then blinked twice. "Major deja vu."

"Mhm." May scaled down the ladder and looked up, her eyes twinkling in the glow of the torches. "I will take this opportunity to say that you are good, but I am still better."

"Pfft!" Brendan quickly followed May down the ladder and jumped off when he was a few feet off the floor. He looked around, but it was pretty much pointless as he could only see where his narrow light pointed. A noise to his right caught his attention, and he could only assume it was May fumbling with her Pokéballs. He heard the familiar noise of the button on the ball being pressed and the ball whooshing through the air before releasing the creature within. "Beautifly!" was what he heard, the creature blowing wind in his direction.

"Use Flash, Cherry," said May. The cave was basked in a golden glow as Cherry lit up the antennas on her head. She hummed cheerfully before landing on May's head, flapping her multi-colored wings.

"Hmm ..." Brendan walked slowly, pressing a hand against the wall, coating his fingers in a fine dust. "Any ideas where to go?"

"Maybe we can pull up a map on the PokéNav." May pulled out her PokéNav, turning it on. "No service," she murmured, clipping it back on her belt. "No wonder some people call this the hardest part of the journey. How are you supposed to get out let alone getting out _alive_?" She walked past the standing Brendan who was digging through his backpack for his book of maps, still rambling to herself. "I mean, we're going to be in here for days. Days without a shower? Disgusting! And it's cold and damp and smelly and–" She stopped in her tracks when she bumped into something – something big. Petrified, she turned around and noticed a grumpy Pokémon behind her. It was a good two feet taller than her and huge as well. Although stubby and could barely support its weight on its tiny legs, May could tell this thing could kill her with its muscular arms. The Pokémon, known as a Hariyama, quickly swung its heavy arm toward May, and she screamed.

"Valiant, Double Edge!" Brendan, panicking, quickly releasing his Lairon from his ball. The Lairon burst through his ball running, quickly sidestepping past May and colliding his hard, steel head with the Hariyama's palm. Grunting, Valiant held his ground before pushing forward. He then flicked his head up, sending the Hariyama flying. The fighting Pokémon groaned, skidding back. He wobbled back onto his feet, glaring at the smirking Lairon. Hariyama began to run in Valiant's direction rather quickly for his large stature, his right arm thrust backward and glowing with power.

Brendan thought hastily of Valiant's move set before snapping his fingers. "Iron Defense!"

Valiant nodded and braced his body, his steely frame glinting in the light of Cherry's light. He took the Hariyama's attack head on, though he didn't seem fazed. Clenching his teeth, Valiant felt himself being pushed backward by the Hariyama's force.

"Shock Wave now!"

With his face furrowing, Valiant dug his feet into the ground, his body crackling with sparks. He then released a burst of electric energy from his body, shocking Hariyama whose arm was still thrust against Valiant's head. The huge being roared in agony before pulling away from the Lairon, stumbling around a bit, looking like he were about to fall over. Shaking, jolts of energy still running up and down his body, Hariyama turned around slowly, grunting and disappearing from sight.

Brendan sighed in relief and returned Valiant to his ball, thanking him for a job well done. He then walked over to May (who was squatting on the floor, her arms over her head while her Beautifly floated above her head, rolling her eyes) and pulled her up. "Are you okay?" he asked, brushing some dirt off her shoulders.

"Y-yeah," the girl replied quivering. She then embraced the boy in a tight hug. "That was scary ..."

Brendan stood there awkwardly, his arms clenched tightly against his side. He then let go of his tension and hugged the girl back, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair. "I know. But you're okay. I wouldn't let anything hurt you."

She released him, staring into the deepness of his ruby eyes. "I hurt you ... didn't I?"

"What?" Brendan felt nervous all of a sudden and tore his eyes away from May's, staring down at his shoes. "What do you mean?"

"That one day at Sootopolis. After you won your badge I mean." May used her hand to lift Brendan's chin up, staring into his eyes again. "You were hurt, weren't you?"

Brendan quickly tore himself away from May and walked away from her, pacing the ground in front of her. "What? Why would I be hurt? I mean ... I just gave you advice, and you took it, and you're happy with Wally and –"

"You like me ... Don't you?"

Brendan stopped in his tracks and looked at May, his eyes wide. "Don't be dumb, May," he retorted, pacing again, trying his best not to stutter. I ... I don't. We're friends! You even said I was like a brother to you! I don't ... I can't –" He voice got caught in his throat as he felt May's hand wrap around his own.

"Tell me the truth," May whispered, her own voice trembling a bit. "Tell me the truth now, or I'll never respect you again."

Brendan sighed, lacing fingers with May's and clutching onto her hand tighter. "I think you already know the answer to that."

"I know, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth. I want to make sure I'm right."

Brendan looked down, licking his lips, his heart racing. "Why?" he asked in an attempt to avoid answering the question.

"Because it really sucks when you think someone likes you, and it ends up they really don't. I ... I just want to hear it. Please," she replied in a somewhat desperate tone. "Just answer."

Brendan eyed May weirdly. "Did something happen between you and Wally?" he asked curiously.

"This isn't about me and Wally!" she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "This is about you and me!"

"No." Brendan quickly let go of May's hand. "What happened?"

May turned her back toward Brendan and crossed her arms, huffing. "Nothing," she said in a stiff voice. She began to walk forward, her Beautifly quickly flying after her. "Forget it!"

"Aw, c'mon, May!" Brendan slapped his forehead and chased after her, relieved that the heat was off him, walking next to her side. "Tell me what happened. You know you can tell me anything."

May climbed over a boulder that blocked the path, almost tripping over her shoelaces. She then walked up another set of stone stairs, Brendan on her heels. Sighing, she stopped walking when she was in the middle of the bridge, the bridge shaking left and right and creaking from the weight it was carrying. "He broke up with me ... That's why I've been so bitter and angry with him."

Brendan secretly cheered on the inside but looked at the back of May sympathetically. "Why?" he asked worriedly, holding on tightly to the rope railing as it swayed back and forth.

"He told me before we left for Littleroot."

"May, that was like ... three weeks ago."

"I know ... He said ... h-he said he really didn't like me. He thought he did, but he said he was wrong. I thought we would be happy together. I guess I was wrong." May turned around, tears in her eyes. "I wish he knew that before we got together, you know? I wouldn't have gotten so hurt."

The boy trainer bit his lip, and the two stood in awkward silence. "I ... am going to kill him," he said firmly, trying to get past May on the tight bridge. "I am going to find him, and I am going to kill him, and I am somehow going to revive him, then I am going to kill him again."

"No need to go overboard," May murmured, blinking back tears. "I've already been giving the poor boy hell. You saw that. I know you think he's a good guy. I don't hate him – really. It just wasn't meant to be between us. Wally and me, I mean."

"Meh. I guess." Brendan threw his arms behind his head and looked up wistfully. "I am sorry, May."

The girl didn't say anything as she turned around, sniffling. The two quickly made their way across the bridge and toward another ladder up ahead. Without a witty remark, May returned Cherry and scaled down the ladder, her head looking down at the ground below. Brendan followed, sighing to himself. When he hit the ground, he noticed that the dirt was softer and slushier than the floor above. It was then, much to his surprise, that they were on a tiny island surrounded by a lake, the water lapping over his shoes. Shuddering as the water soaked into his socks, Brendan clipped off a Pokéball on his belt and threw it into the water. The water swallowed the ball before a bright burst of light shone through the glossy surface, revealing the form of Muddy.

The boy trainer carefully stood on the back of his Swampert, trying to gain balance by holding his arms out to his sides. Finally feeling safe enough, Brendan dropped his arms and sighed in relief only to be pushed in the water by a pissy May. Swimming his way back to the surface, Brendan spat out water and glared at May. "What was that for?"

"For avoiding the subject," she answered, glaring, squatting on the small square of land to reach the boy's eye level. "Answer."

Brendan smiled innocently. "Answer what?"

"Do you like me or not?"

"Ooh! I know the answer to this one!" said Muddy excitedly, treading water while waving his fore paw in the air. "Pick me! Pick me! Latios, _pick me!_"

May ignored the Swampert. "Well?"

"May ..." Brendan swam to the small island and pulled himself up onto it, his clothes dripping with water. "Do I really have to?"

She nodded, sitting down next to him, dipping her feet in the water even though she still had her shoes on. "It's okay if you don't. I just have this feeling, and I'd really like to know and–"

He kissed her. He couldn't help it. Maybe it was just to make her stop talking. Maybe it was because the picture of a peaceful lake complete with waterfall and the light glow of torches on the wall left a romantic ambiance. He didn't know. That wasn't important. All he knew was that it felt right.

Brendan finally pulled away, smiling and looking into May's eyes. "Does that answer your question?"

She smiled back, a tinge of pink in her cheeks. "No," she said with a laugh.

Brendan looked up for a minute, smiling wider, before looking back at May again. "Yes, May. I like you. I really do."

May did a weird combination of a gasp and a giggle, tears welling up in her eyes again. "I like you too ..."

"Ugh, May. Why are you crying this time?" Brendan asked, wiping away a tear off May's cheek that escaped.

"I'm happy ..." she said in a shaky voice, smiling. "I know it's weird that I'm crying, but I really am happy."

"You're a weird one, May," Brendan said, kissing her again.

May knew that they should probably keep looking for the exit of Victory Road and the entrance to the Pokémon League. She knew that this probably wasn't the safest spot to stay still in. But the weird thing was that she always felt safe with Brendan. Even through the roughest roads, she knew he would always protect her. Sure, he was a jerk. But he was her jerk.

* * *

I'ma gag. Or something.

Muddy: SMELLY HOENNSHIPPING!

Flare: Stop talking in caps!

Muddy: NEVER!

LaTeR dAyZ!

**Last Revision: 1/23/09**


	59. Let the Battle Begin!

_Now_ the onslaught of battles can begin ... :3

... NEXT CHAPTER! KEKEKE! On a side note, I'm not sure how five pages of this story is just Brendan, May and Chris sitting in a room. Oh well. Sorry for lying again, but I figured the transition from the last chapter to a hardcore battle chapter would be too awkward. That and the scenes before the actual battle would push this chapter way over the twenty page mark. Ick. Too much for everyone to read.

That being said, I'll try my best not to make the following chapters _too_ boring, but you lot know how fail worthy I am with battles. I also apologize for another late update (I'm trying to do a HLBMA update every two weeks but it's not going that well :3). Writing battles is just a major turn off. I think that's why I started **A Fine Day in May** earlier than expected.

Yes I know I shamelessly plugged a story there. ;D Since I'm shamelessly plugging, remember to vote in my poll in my profile. I'd like input so I know I'm not wasting time by posting the sequel. While I never posted stories for reviews anyway, it'd be nice to know if someone here is going to be reading. :3 Anonymous reviewers can voice their opinion via a review or email.

Anyway, we have about 4-6 chapters left! I'm trying to finish this before I hit the seventy chapter mark (on . I know SPPf has 66 chapters for some reason). Are you excited? I'll be posting tidbits of **HLBMA**'s sequel after each chapter so you can get a good feel of what that story is about.

Enjoy!

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**Let the Battle Begin!**

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He panicked. He tried to run. He tried to hide. But he had no where to go. So he stood in the middle, petrified, trying to cover his eyes. He knew it was still there though. It was no use.

"Oh, Latios ..." he said quietly, quivering, dropping his arms down a bit. "I-I'm scared."

He then tried to run again, dropping his arms and screaming. In one direction was Sirius and Skittles, cuddling with each other. In the opposite direction was Brendan and May, cuddling with each other. He was doomed. _Doomed_, he'd say.

"I'm not sure which direction is more disgusting," said Flare dully, sitting in between the two new couples, looking back and forth on the top bunk opposite of them. She rolled her eyes, her arms crossed as her Swampert friend continued to run back and forth, his arms flailing about.

"Why you hatin'?" asked Sirius, looking up at Flare before nuzzling his head against Skittles again, causing the Delcatty to mew happily. "Stop hatin'. It's not nice."

"Quit telling me that. Why is everyone always telling me that?"

It was late at night by the time Brendan and May made their way through the perilous and tiring Victory Road. Bruised and battered, the only thing the two seemed to be able to do was lie in bed in the room provided by the League in Ever Grande – while in a comfortable and close proximity of each other of course. May was curled up next to Brendan, her head resting on his chest while Brendan laid flat on his back, sprawled out, looking up at the bottom of the bunk bed above him while nonchalantly running a hand through May's hair. The room was cast in a warm, golden glow from the lamp in the corner, a pleasant ambiance compared to the cold and gloomy cave they were lost in less than a hour ago.

"For the record, we're not cuddling," muttered Brendan stiffly, unable to turn his head to look at the Blaziken that was sitting on the other bed. "We're just too worn out to move."

"Mhm. That's saying a lot for two humans that relied on the help of their Pokémon to get through Victory Road," pointed out the snide Flare with a sigh. "That being said, neither me or Muddy are tired, and we were the one helping you cross lakes and climb over boulders."

"Yeah, yeah," complained May before yawning, her mouth wide. She twitched a bit, and she groaned in pain. "Oww ... Brendan, I'm not sure how we're even going to _make_ it to the field for battle if we can barely move now."

He groaned in response. "At least we have a day to recuperate and relax. Hopefully we can at least drag ourselves on the floor by then."

"You're silly," giggled May, patting Brendan's cheek with her hand.

"You're disgustingly sappy," replied the Blaziken, rolling her eyes again. She then dodged the pillow May weakly threw at her and responded with a smug smile. "Whatever. I'm going outside to train. One more day!" she said giddily, pushing herself up from the bed, the springs underneath her squeaking as she landed on the floor gracefully. She then made her way to the open window, pushing aside the fluttering silk curtains that covered it and jumping into the cold, crisp night air.

There was knock on the door, a gentle tapping that everyone ignored. The knocking then took form into a familiar, metronome-like beat. Then it became more furious at the person's knuckles that brushed against the wood turned into a pounding of the fist. The brass doorknob rattled before the door slammed open, startling the two trainers and their Pokémon.

"Hellloooo, lovebirds!" exclaimed an excited Chris, his arms squeezing a huge, leather bound book against his chest. He walked in, noticing the snuggling Mightyena and Delcatty on the floor. Eyeing them oddly, he made his way down the aisle between the two beds, his shoes squeaking on the polished wood floor. With a satisfied smile, he dropped the book, and the room shook when the book hit the floor. Brendan groaned again as his neck got whiplash from the impact.

"What is that?" he murmured, shifting his head so he could stare at the bottom of the top bunk again. Brendan's hand trailed down from May's short, thick locks of hair to the small of her back, grabbing her by the waist gently, pulling her body closer to his. He then lowered her eyes to her head resting on his chest, watching as it lowered and raised with each breath he took.

"A book about Hoenn's Pokémon trainers of course! We only have a day to research _every single trainer_ competing!" his friend replied cheerfully, plopping himself on the floor and flipping over the leather cover of the book. "Don't you want to have the upper hand on your opponent?"

"Does it require reading that book?"

"Of course!"

"Then no."

"Psh!" was all Chris said as he grabbed a handful of the pages in his hand and thumbed through them, making a pleasant fanning noise. He then flipped back to the beginning and licked his fingers before turning the thin pages. "It's not like you have to read the entire thing! Just the ones about the trainers competing."

"Isn't that about ... a hundred or so?" mentioned May, slowly pushing herself up. She then gave up, collapsing back on top of poor Brendan, making him gasp and cringe in pain as she did so.

"Yes! Shouldn't take us more than twelve hours to read about everyone, create battle tactics for each trainer, and then memorize those tactics! We can stay up all night to do so!"

The enthusiasm that dripped from Chris made Brendan and May simultaneously moan in annoyance. Groggily, May pushed herself up from Brendan's chest and pressed a hand against her forehead in hopes that the room would stop spinning. With a small sigh, she rose from the bed and stumbled a bit before regaining composure, bending over a bit to grab her fanny pack off the floor.

"You two enjoy that. I'm going to take a shower." And with that, May thrust the door to the bathroom open and entered, swiftly shutting it behind her and locking it with the rattling of the doorknob.

Free to roll over, Brendan turned onto his side to face Chris who was enjoyable flipping through the book with wide eyes. "You're really going to read that _entire_ thing tonight?"

"Well, no. I was only saying that to get May out of the room really," the former Magma member replied with a snide grin. Grabbing the book, he hoisted himself up and sat on the bed opposite of Brendan's. "So ... How did it go?"

"How did ... what go?"

"Oh, you know." Chris's smirk got wider. "You two were in Victory Road for awhile."

"We got lost!"

"Sure you did. So what really happened? Something must have happened if you two are cuddly and whatnot."

Brendan rolled back onto his back and pulled the pillow underneath his head, placing it squarely on his face. "I'm not even sure," he replied, his voice muffled. "I saved her from a Hariyama, she freaked out–"

"Of course," interrupted Chris. "So damsel of distress of her."

"–We hugged ... then we fought. Then she kicked me in the water. Then I ... I kissed her when she was talking." Brendan sat up, grimacing as his joints locked up in pain from doing so. He placed the pillow in his lap. "It was kind of odd. Nice. But odd."

"You always kiss her when she's talking. Why?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. I think I do it to shut her up."

Chris laughed. "It obviously works. So you finally manned up and told her. Good for you, Brendan Birch."

"Whatever." Brendan nodded at the book grasped in Chris's hands, and Chris handed it to him without comment. Almost falling over from all the weight, the boy heaved it on top of the pillow on his lap and cracked it open, flipping through the pages. His eyes raced from left to right as he read the fine print while observing picture of trainer after trainer in black and white. "So this book contains all the people competing?"

"And then some," answered Chris, walking over to Brendan's bed and sitting next to him. "I think it contains all the trainers of the Hoenn region even if they're not competing in the League. Did you ever have to do a survey while on your journey? This book was the reason for that. They collected data from everyone and posted their trainer information and what their most commonly used Pokémon are."

"Ah. I think I remember that. Some guy came up to me and kept asking me all these questions, and I think I said anything just to get him away from me." Brendan flipped through the "B" section of the book and found his page. He quickly scanned through his trainer information (noting that it listed Silver as a Ninjask) and found a quote by him at the bottom. "Yep. I remember saying that to him."

Ugh, just get away from me, it said in the book.

"Good times." He smiled fondly. "Isn't this a little outdated, Chris? I mean, they still list I have a Ninjask instead of a Shedinja, nor do they have some of my other Pokémon like Cinders or Valiant. I'm going to assume most of the trainers in this book have new Pokémon as well. Besides, don't they have a more updated version on the computer?"

"Of course. The book just shows what Pokémon the trainer has been training the longest because of its outdated ... ness. The computer doesn't list how long a trainer has had their Pokémon. Usually, the longer a trainer has their Pokémon, the more skilled they are with that Pokémon. By using both the book and the computer you know which Pokémon you have to worry about more."

Brendan nodded in response as he flipped through the book again, stopping at the "C's" where Chris was. "'Native to the secluded city of Sootopolis,'" he read out loud from Chris's trainer information, "'Chris Conifer has been a trainer for at least three years. Interestingly enough though, he opted to travel the Johto region first. After a humiliating defeat at the Johto League, barely ranking in the top fifty, Chris took a year off to train before attempting the Hoenn League. What makes this trainer unusual is his fondness for fire types; his entire team consists of fire types from various regions. While same type trainers are usually easy targets, Chris is no pushover.' I didn't know you traveled Johto before this. I thought you were a rookie!"

"Well, technically I still am. I'm not an experienced trainer, that's for certain. I do, however– " Chris puffed his chest out at this, "–know a lot about league battles."

Brendan continued to flip through the book. "Yeah. Top fifty. Right on."

"Psh! It's higher than you ranked so far!" argued Chris, pointing a finger at the smirking Brendan. "Either way, do you know how these battles work anyway?"

"Not really," admitted Brendan, flipping through the "G's" of the book. "I mean, you only learn so much reading about it and watching T.V. Going to clue me in?"

Chris nodded. "The Hoenn League, or any league for that matter, is a long and difficult week of battles."

"... Duh?"

"Bah. Let me finish. The first day, which is tomorrow, is nothing more than the opening ceremony. This is when all the trainers march into one of the Pokémon stadiums, and that huge torch is lit, and blah, blah, blah. It's more inspiring then I make it out to be, but I'd rather not spoil it for you. Then the day after, the real fun begins. Usually there are around a hundred or so trainers in the first round, and obviously, this is cut down to fifty. The second round then cuts that fifty to twenty four, then the third cuts that twenty four to twelve or so. For these rounds, you only need to use three Pokémon. If you happen to make it to the top twelve, you enter the preliminary rounds where you can use up to six Pokémon. Eventually, this is weeded down to the top two – the finals. Make sense?"

"Simple division," replied Brendan in a murmur. "What about the field types? I noticed there were a few different fields when I watched last year."

"Those are chosen at random," answered Chris. "There's an ice field, a water field, a rocky field, and a grassy field. Obviously, you need to adapt to each field, and each field has its advantages and disadvantages depending on the Pokémon you use. The first match takes place on a plain battlefield as does the final field."

"Ah. I guess I get it." Brendan flipped through the "M's" and immediately found May's page, smiling at the picture of her beaming. After scanning her trainer information and the Pokémon listed under her name, Brendan's eyes trailed down to her quote. While the quote was simple in nature, it was a timeless, familiar creed that Brendan would never forget:

With you by my side, anything is possible.

He closed the book with a satisfying shut and rubbed the cold leather of its cover, running a finger across the gold engraving of the words. "I'm nervous," he admitted as he handed the book back to Chris.

The former Magma agent heaved the book onto his bed, the top bunk over May's bottom bunk. "It's understandable. Everyone here is," replied Chris, kicking off his shoes and climbing the bed frame to get to his bed. He flopped onto his stomach and unzipped his backpack, pulling out clean clothes. "Try to not get inside your head too much," he advised, "otherwise you'll be too caught up in your thoughts to battle properly. Relax. Breathe." His eyes went from Brendan's nervous ones to the door of the bathroom. "Latios, Brendan. Your girlfriend sure takes long showers."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Oh. She's not my girlfriend. Yet anyway."

"WAIT A MINUTE! FREEZE!" shouted Muddy from his position who had stayed quiet all this time near the window, alarming the two boys. "Five years and sixty odd some chapters, and the furthest you get with May is some kiss? In some dinky, smelly cave? What the ... How the ... See! See what you did! I can't even talk because I'm so upset! I am _so_ out of here!" With a huff, Muddy pushed himself up and flung the curtains away from the window, the night air whipping at his face. His upper half managed to climb through the window, but then he flopped over, his stomach resting on the sill of the window. His legs kicked as he tried to push himself up from the position he got stuck in, and he began to whine. "Cinnamon Buns! Push me out!"

"Stop calling me that!" complained Sirius, closing his eyes, getting tired himself from watching Skittles sleep.

"Cinnamon Buns! Please!"

Skittles eyelids fluttered opened, and her warm, brown eyes rested on Muddy's wiggling rear in the window and the two boy trainers that were staring at him boggle-eyed. With a sigh, she nudged Sirius in the side with her nose. "Go help him."

"Do I have to?" he whined.

Skittles smiled cutely. "Please?"

Sirius whimpered a bit before grudgingly getting up and trotting over to the window. Scratching a paw against the wood floor, he head butted Muddy's bottom and managed to send him out the window, banging his own head against the wall in the process. Grumbling and somewhat dazed, Sirius managed to make his way back to Skittles who immediately began to nuzzle her own head where Sirius got hurt to soothe the pain.

Brendan, blinking, finally snapped out of his thoughts and noticed the huge chunk of windowsill Muddy managed to break off as he fell. "Dammit! Muddy broke the wall!"

"The ... fourth wall?" muttered Chris with an eye roll.

"Yep."

"Oh. I won't tell anyone if you don't then." Shrugging, Chris flipped open the book, turning the pages. "So are you going to make it 'official' then?"

The white-haired trainer flipped onto his back and placed his hands behind his head. "Of course," answered Brendan with a small smile. "I want to make it special though. Just not sure when."

"Ah. I'm sure you'll think of something." Chris quickly turned his head when he heard a clicking and the rattling of the bathroom door as it opened. Amongst the thick steam emerged May, her hair up in a towel and clad in red, cotton pajamas decorated with dancing Torchics. "God. Finally."

"Hush, you," replied May, giggling afterward. She stepped further away from the bathroom as Chris gathered the clean clothing he pulled out from his backpack.

Flapping them in the air, Chris jumped off the top bunk, landing gracefully near the bathroom. "Ugh, steamy," he muttered, opening and shutting the door in an attempt to air the bathroom out. Giving up, Chris entered, careful to not step on any wet spots May left and closed the door. He then shrieked in a high voice. "Ew! There's hair in the drain!"

Brendan and May laughed at the same time as May pulled the towel off her hair, wet locks of brown hair draping against her shoulder. She ran her hands through the mess, her face screwing up into a look of disdain when her fingers got caught in a tangle. She then turned to Brendan. "You look pale."

"Oh. Well, thanks," replied the boy sarcastically. He turned toward the window, feeling the cool air against his hot face. "I do feel kind of sick. Mind if I go outside for some air?"

May patted Brendan's hand comfortingly before kissing him swiftly on the cheek. "Of course, B Boy. Don't be long though."

"I won't." Brendan got up from the bed and slipped on his shoes, grabbing his backpack off the floor. Swinging it over his shoulder, he walked toward the door and opened it, greeted by chatting trainers in the hallway. Closing the door behind him, Brendan made his way down the hallway, ignoring the stares coming his way. He finally made it to the exit of the building, brushing a loose strand of white hair away from his forehead.

Considering it was eleven at night, Ever Grande was buzzing. Stores were still open as trainers window shopped, pointing at various items positioned in the windows. People were eating in an outside café while talking about the busy week ahead. Brendan, gripping the strap of his backpack tightly, made his way down the cobblestone street, not sure where he was going. Before he knew it, he was at the entrance of a huge stadium. Brendan knew this one one of the stadiums where all the battles took place, and despite its dark and haunting appearance, he decided to enter through its tall archway anyway. His footsteps echoed as he crossed the concrete threshold and into the arena, his shoes immediately kicking up tiny pebbles along the ground, coating his shoes in fine dust.

The boy made his way to the center, standing where the field divided along the chalky, white line. He turned around slowly, examining the massive stadium. The seats seemed to tower over him, starting from the low ground and heading toward the skies. Would people actually be filling all those seats? Would people be cheering from them, watching trainers like him – watching him himself? The battlefield was nothing like Brendan had experienced. It was massive compared to any other field he battled on. Would he really need all the space?

Questions kept running through his head in a blur. Would his Pokémon be able to handle the intense battles? Would he be able to handle the intense battles? What if he had to battle against Chris? May even? What if he didn't even get past the first round? Hell, what if – by some miracle – he got to the finals?

He looked up toward the endless sky, admiring the winking stars and the silver orb of the moon. Dark clouds dotted the sky, and it was a bit chilly, but Brendan found the air relieving against his hot skin. A cough to his right made the boy look down and turn his head, noticing another person a few meters away. Curious, Brendan walked toward the silhouette of the other boy, the other boy's appearance becoming more sharper the closer he got. White shirt, khakis, green hair; it was no other then Wally.

Tentatively, Brendan murmured, "Wally?"

The green-haired boy snapped his head down from his gaze towards the skies and looked at Brendan, his hands shoved deeply inside his pockets. He laughed a little to himself, probably out of nervousness, and walked the rest of the way towards Brendan, staring him straight in the eye. The tension was thick and awkward, and Brendan couldn't help but be reminded of the old, bitter rivalry the two used to have.

"Hey, Brendan," replied Wally softly, shifting his weight between his legs. Brendan wasn't sure if he was doing this to keep himself warm or to fight the nervous jitters. "What are you doing here?"

Brendan thrust his hands into his own pockets as well, gulping. "I needed some fresh air, and I ended up here somehow. What about you?"

"Just wanted to see what it was like to be in here. It's huge, isn't it?"

"Yeah ..."

"I used to wonder what it was like being here. Ever since I was little, I couldn't help but wonder what it was like," continued Wally, breaking his gaze from Brendan to look around the stadium, his eyes wide. "It's still hard to believe. A year ago, I was locked indoors, so weak and fragile. Today I have a team full of wonderful Pokémon, stories about my journey ... things I could only dream of. And here I am, standing in a Pokémon Stadium about to compete in one of the hardest competitions of my life."

"I know. It's crazy," replied Brendan quietly, not really sure how to respond. "I mean, we both worked so hard to get here, and even though we knew we'd both get here, it's still amazing that we're actually here."

Wally snapped his eyes back to Brendan's red ones solemnly. "You know, I have to thank you."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"For pushing me to get here."

The white-haired trainer snorted. "Really? If anything my attitude toward you seemed like I'd wanted you to _stop _traveling and training. At least to me anyway."

Wally laughed a bit. "Yeah, I know; it's a little funny when you think about it. We're both stubborn though, and I needed to prove you wrong. You pushed me to keep training just so I could beat you one day. You helped me grow. So thanks, Brendan. Or Brandon, rather."

Brendan nodded, tearing his eyes from Wally's and smiling at the old joke the two used to have. "You're welcome, Wallace."

Silence overwhelmed them in its strong hold again as the two boys gazed upon the massive stadium and its chairs that would soon be filled tomorrow morning.

"If we do end up battling each other though," said Wally after a few minutes, "I'm not holding back. Just because we became friends doesn't mean that we're still not rivals."

"I would be disappointed if you didn't, Wally."

"Good."

More silence.

"So ... you're really with May now?"

* * *

He was tired.

Brendan groggily rubbed his eyes as he stood among the mass of trainers that gathered inside the Pokémon stadium. He wasn't sure how long Wally and he spent talking last night nor what time they finally retreated to their room. They seemed to go over everything: Tactics, battle styles, stories, Pokémon, and May especially.

A nudge to his arm and a delicate, slender hand that slipped into his own woke him up. He looked at May who smiled at him, gripping his hand tighter within her own. The contact with the girl made him feel the girl tremble in nervousness. Since the trainers competing didn't seem to be doing anything besides standing as they waited for the officials to speak, Brendan took this opportunity to observe his surroundings.

Past the hundreds of trainers that were lined up in perfect rows of twenty were the crowds, more than Brendan could count times a thousand. And they were all cheering, giving the roar of the ocean a run for its money. Barely seen between the thickness of the crowds was a concrete staircase that lead to a metal contraption; Brendan could only assume this was the object where the official flame was held. It was a bit too windy for his liking, but he couldn't argue with the clear, blue skies and the bright sun overhead. It was a perfect day for the Hoenn League to begin.

The roars of the crowd seem to get louder, and Brendan noticed that Chris, who stood next to him, was looking up toward the top of the staircase, a look of determination in his eye. Next to Chris was Wally who was also looking up, a small smirk dancing across his face. He squinted his eyes into the sunlight, looking around to see what all the fuss was about. Near the top of the staircase was a dot – no, two dots. One of the dots was holding a torch with a flame dancing upon it.

"Hey! Isn't that Steven?" May asked Brendan, motioning toward the jumbo screen to the side.

Brendan turned his head, and sure enough, the familiar blue-eyed, silver-haired that helped Brendan and May a few times on their journey was on the screen, waving to the audience with one hand while the torch was tightly clutched in his other.

"Please welcome," declared the announcer over the speaker, causing the audience to thunder even louder, "the two time Pokémon Champion of the Hoenn Region, Steven Stone!"

Brendan and May gaped and went wide-eyed as the trainers and audience simultaneously burst into screams and applause. This was _the_ Steven Stone? _The_ Steven Stone they met in Dewford Cave? _The_ Steven Stone that gave Brendan a Devon Scope? This was him?

The two managed to collect themselves together when Steven started to speak, also causing the crowd's screams to die down.

"I would like to welcome everyone, trainers and spectators, to the forty fourth annual Hoenn Pokémon League!" This announcement made the crowds go wild again. When it died down, Steven spoke once more. "Each trainer that stands before me has gone through the perilous, long, and difficult task that makes up a Pokémon journey. Some of them have become close friends. Some of them have become bitter rivals. Wherein the confusing mix of relationships between each trainer lies a single purpose: To become the next Hoenn Pokémon League Champion!"

The crowds beat their feet against the floor with their noisy cheering as Steven lifted the torch in his hands. "With the lighting of the official Hoenn torch, I would like to say to our trainers good luck, and may the best trainer win!" With a smile, Steven looked at the torch, the fire flickering in his eyes. He then dipped the small torch into the giant metal mechanism, and instantly, the mechanism captured the small flame and burst into a gigantic one, the bright red and orange of the flame a contrast against the heavenly blue of the sky.

Amongst the applause, Steven lifted his arms and declared, "Let the battle begin!"

* * *

Since I can't milk out anything before the actual battles anymore, I guarantee the next chapter will be the actual league. :P

Below is the sneak peek of** The Battle Frontier**. If you don't want to be spoiled, skip over it.

LaTeR dAyZ!

_Sneak peek of **The Battle Frontier: A Brendan and May Adventure Continues**_ ...

"Not so fast, _son._" Professor Birch emphasized the last part, reaching out and grabbing Brendan by the back of his shirt. The boy tried to wiggle out of his dad's grasp, outstretching his arms toward the laboratory doors, but it was no use; his father's grip was firm. So he slouched, his face in a scowl, his arms crossed. "You've only been home for two and a half weeks, Brendan. Give your Pokémon a chance to relax. Give _yourself_ a chance to relax."

"But Daaaaad," whined Brendan, pulling his shirt out of Professor's Birch's grasp. "Scott just opened the Battle Frontier! I've got to be the first one to win all the symbols or whatever you win there! I'm so bored here! Please don't make me stay!"

"If you were so bored then why didn't you go on that cruise with May and your other friends?" argued Professor Birch, crossing his arms. Sighing, he walked over to his desk and plopped himself in the chair, tapping his fingers on the desk. He picked up a pencil and started scribbling on a notepad. "The Battle Frontier isn't going anywhere, Brendan. I don't want you dashing off to some unknown area with no idea what's up there."

Brendan frowned again as he leaned against the edge of his dad's desk. "But isn't that the point of being a trainer? To explore into unknown areas? To adventure? Etcetera? And really, Dad, it'll give me a chance to see new Pokémon. The Battle Frontier isn't limited to Hoenn trainers; there are trainers all over the world going there. Imagine it." He turned around to face his father, stars in his eyes as he raised a fist in the air. "A Venusaur from Kanto! A Miltank from Johto! A Yanma from Sinnoh!"

"Actually Yanmas are native to Johto as well."

"Bah! Whatever!"

Professor Birch looked up from his paperwork. "Tell you what, kid. If you can wait a few more days until May and Wally return from their cruise AND can convince them to go there, I'll _think_ about letting you go. Think being the keyword. I also want you to research this so-called Battle Frontier as well."

"Awesome!" Brendan cheered, pushing himself off his dad's desk and running toward the laboratory doors. "I'll get them to come and then some!"

And with that, a giddy Brendan jumped in the air and clicked his heels before pushing open the doors, fresh air greeting him with open arms. Convincing May and Wally to come with him to the Battle Frontier would be ridiculously easy. Right?

Right.


	60. No Pressure, Brendan Birch!

I so updated on Sunday like I said. But the site went down and it just let me back on. o.- Check SPPf if you don't believe me. ;P

I'm totally in another urge to mass revamp again by adding detail. Ugh. I might if I'm bored, but I won't make it a project like the last one.

Muddy: You should ... Dance with rocks!

Wha?

Muddy: Great idea, Bree! I'ma dance with rocks! (bounces away)

... That being said, this time (if I do revamp) I will be decapitalizing pokémon to just "pokémon" and pokémon names (not unless their pronouns) like swampert and blaziken because they really have no reason to be capitalized. Therefore it's bugging me. :3 That and detail. I might wait 'til after I'm done with the story though to do another mass revamp. That being said, I did revamp chapters one and two as an example of what I'll be adding and changing.

As for this chapter, it's pretty much a standstill battle chapter like I said. One of those "point b" chapters where I need it to get to point c. I promise you next chapter should be more interesting. ;P

Muddy: Yeah! Flare dies next chapter!

Flare: ... Four more chapters to go after this! Enjoy!

* * *

**No Pressure, Brendan Birch!**

**

* * *

**

Pages flipped. Computers buzzed. Pencils scribbled.

And then a frustrated boy yelled, "Quit it, Chris! I can't read that fast!"

Brendan pushed his friend away from the keyboard and centered himself in front of it, clicking the back button on the browser. Biting the eraser of his pencil, he furiously began to write the stats and pokémon of his opponent.

"You know if you listened to me yesterday and stayed up with me to research our opponents last night instead of the last five or so minutes before your battle, you probably wouldn't be in this much of a hurry to figure out some sort of battle tactic," muttered Chris, turning his back on the computer and leaning against the table it sat upon, looking back and forth at the frenzied scurry of trainers. He then blew up the black bangs that teased his forehead. "But whatever."

"Hush!" demanded Brendan, using the mouse to scroll down the screen. "Five minutes ... No time ... Brain hurting. Gah!"

Chris sighed, rolling his eyes before turning his head toward the screen again, his eyes scanning up and down. "Since you really can't plan a proper strategy against each individual pokémon your opponent has, let's think of some of the basics then. Your opponent – Matt, right? Matt has a pretty balanced mix like your team. His torkoal for example. What would be a good choice against his torkoal?"

"Uh ..." Brendan scratched his head, stuttering. "My s-swampert?"

"Atta boy!" Chris clapped Brendan on the back, causing the white-haired trainer to cough suddenly. "Likewise, if you were to send out your swampert, be aware that he could easily send out a type disadvantage for you, like his vileplume. Be aware of that."

"Meh," was all Brendan said as he gathered up all his belongings and logged off the public computer where another trainer frantically pushed past him to get to, quickly researching his own opponent. "It can't be different than any other battle right? It's just on a huge field ... with thousands of people watching ..."

"Oh, and it'll pretty much sum up your entire year as a trainer," Chris added as Brendan gulped nervously. He clapped Brendan on the back again, causing the boy to stumble a bit over his feet. "No pressure!"

Brendan shuddered before replying, "Thanks," in a dry tone. He then made his way toward a long hallway where a set of huge, metal doors were set before him. It felt like he swallowed a bag of cotton balls then rubbed whatever wetness he had left on his tongue with wool. Beautiflies no longer described the sensation in his stomach. It was more like swellows – no, salamences causing mass havoc within his bowels.

_Chris is right. Why are you worrying so much?_ Brendan thought as his friend more than playfully shoved him forward to walk down the hallway toward the taunting metal doors. The slap of his sneakers echoed in the narrow, plainly decorated hallway where chips of white paint fell off the walls. The doors seemed to get bigger and wider, and soon, Brendan found his hand wrapping itself against the sleek, cold metal of the bar that pushed open the heavy door. He tried to catch his breath and gulp down his nerves. This was it.

No pressure.

You have nothing to lose.

... Except your dignity, maybe.

And May. May probably wouldn't want to date a person who lost in the first round.

Wally and Chris would probably disrespect your status as a trainer too if you lost.

Maybe you'd lose the family name too. I mean, Dad probably would be ashamed if his kid lost in the first round.

Crap.

"No! Stop being dumb, Birch!" Brendan grumbled to himself, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts. "None of that is going to happen. You've been training and practicing way too long to just lose like that. You'll be fine. No pressure!"

And with that, Brendan, nodding firmly, put both hands on the bar of the metal door and pushed forward, a warm breeze and the screams of a thousand audience members greeting him swiftly and harshly with screams. The boy managed to squeeze himself between a gap in the two doors and shielded his eyes from the blinding sun with a hand. As he walked forward, he kicked the dirt of the path that lead to his his trainer box, the dirt swirling and intoxicating him with its dust. He coughed again, more out of nervousness than anything, and entered the huge, chalk-drawn box, dropping his hand to look around.

There were thousands of people, like Brendan estimated a couple of nights before, and while he knew that most of them were cheering more for the battle that was going to take place than him himself, he still felt empowered. Loved, even. He turned around slowly, trying to spot anyone in the huge audience that he recognized. He spotted some trainers he encountered on his journey waving at him, and he waved back, some of his nerves disappearing now that he knew people would actually be here to cheer him on. He then turned a bit to look at the people that would be watching his back and noticed Wally, May, and Chris – who just managed to squeeze past a particularly large man to get his seat – wave wildly and happily at him.

Brendan smiled widely before turning back toward the battlefield, observing it. Like Chris said a few days ago, the battlefield was plain and barren except for the chalky, white line that separated Brendan's half of the field from his opponent's. A few rocks littered the battlefield though nothing huge enough for any pokémon to hide behind or use to its advantage (or disadvantage, he supposed). The judge was already there, clad in a simple red sweater with the Hoenn symbol stitched in the corner of the sweater's pocket and dark slacks. He clutched a green flag – Brendan's flag – in his left hand and a red flag in his right. Further up, on both sides of the huge stadium above the audience, were two jumbo screens that featured Brendan's picture on one side along with his opponent's on the other. Three empty boxes were underneath both his and his opponent's picture, and Brendan assumed that these were where the pictures of the pokémon he used went. In between the two trainers' pictures was a screen that was playing back what the camera recorded, and he assumed this was to get close ups of the battle for people that were sitting way in the back.

The white-haired trainer's eyes went from up high to down low to where his opponent stood on the opposite end of the battlefield. He was no younger than Brendan though he had an air of calmness about him unlike Brendan himself who was battling the urge to empty his stomach's contents. The hot wind swept through his loose locks of dirty blond hair. Underneath his open, dark green track jacket that flapped in the wind was a loose, black t-shirt. Brendan saw him shove his gloved hands into the pockets of his dark denim jeans as he kicked the dirt, the dust floating down gently and resting on the folds of his pants. Matt, as Brendan remembered, then looked up, his bright, blue eyes meeting the crimson gaze of Brendan's. He then nodded, giving him a thumbs up, and Brendan smiled, doing the same. Although they were opponents, the two had a mutual respect for each other and wished each other the best in the battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" cried a deep voice over the speakers, causing the audience to go into a louder uproar. "Are you ready to see some more intense battles?"

More roars answered him.

"Then I am pleased to introduce our next trainers competing!" shouted the announcer again. "from Mossdeep, please welcome Matt Davidson!"

Brendan watched as Matt waved toward the crowds and the cameras focused in on him, revealing his determined grin on the jumbo screen.

"Fighting Matt is Littleroot's own Brendan Birch!"

Again, Brendan noticed the camera closing in but on him instead. He couldn't help but wince at how nervous he looked on the gigantic screen.

"As you may know," said the announcer over the speaker, "our trainers are allowed to only use three pokémon each! Each trainer is only allowed to switch pokémon after each battle! No time limit! The trainer that is able to knock out three of his opponent's pokémon is the winner and will move on to the next round!" He then hesitated before continuing. "Judge, wave down your flags when you're ready to begin!"

Brendan turned his head toward the judge on the sidelines who raised both the red and green flags in his hands. He looked at Matt first and then Brendan and nodded firmly, making sure that they were ready to battle as well. Truth be told, Brendan sure as hell wasn't, but he apparently had no choice as the judge lowered both flags and shouted, "Begin!"

More crap.

_Calm down_, Brendan thought to himself as his heart began to beat faster. _Just send out a pokémon, and don't even think about the crowds ... or the huge field ... or your pride on the line ..._

Flicking a loose strand of hair away from his forehead, Brendan unclipped a pokéball from his belt hastily, his fingers fumbling over its smooth surface, and enlarged it, throwing it toward the battlefield in a dizzying spiral. "Let's do it," he bellowed with a cracked, dry voice, barely heard above the roar of the crowd, "Emmy!"

The ball hit the hard earth of the battlefield and released the creature within. The young vibrava appeared once the light died down, swinging her tail back and forth nervously, her big, green eyes blinking in awe at the thunderous roar of applause. She then turned her head toward the opposite half of the battlefield where Matt also released his pokémon who's gleaming blue eyes stared into Emmy's bewildered ones. Sleek yet small, the pokémon scratched at the ground threateningly before jumping a bit at the sound of a high pitched scream, his striped, tan and brown body quivering. Brendan quickly recognized this pokémon as a linoone after encountering them several times in the wild.

Matt was quick (or Brendan was still in awe of the crowd) and quickly commanded, "Belly Drum, let's go!"

The linoone nodded and got onto his hind legs, beating the furry, toasty tan belly with his forepaws as he pointed his head toward the sky and howled in an odd chant. Brendan quickly turned his head away from the audience and toward the battle in front of him, a confused expression on his face that matched the bewildered one of his pokémon. Linoone then dropped back onto all fours and snarled at the curious vibrava.

Before Brendan could even think of a good counter, as curious and confused as he was, Matt again barked a command, "Extreme Speed, Linoone!"

Linoone growled, and in a blur of brown fur, the creature collided with the unmoving Emmy, sending them both skidding backward toward Brendan's side of the field, the linoone on top and Emmy on the bottom. Linoone then quickly used his back legs to push the vibrava even further, watching amusedly as her head collided sickeningly with a rock on the battlefield. Both Brendan and portions of the audience winced and grimaced at the same time as the rock split into several pieces from the hit.

Even more crap.

"Sunuva – he's freezing up," muttered Chris to a worried May and a mystified Wally. He then stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth to make his voice more apparent against the screams. "Focus, Brendan! You gotta think faster than that! Don't worry about the crowds! Just focus on your pokémon!"

Brendan, luckily, heard his friend and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Right. Forget about everything except the battle. Focus." He took another deep breath as Emmy crawled her way toward the center of the field, her body shaking with fatigue. "Belly Drum boosts up a pokémon's attack power like mad, so that attack hit Emmy pretty badly, but it also cuts down the user's energy. I gotta be faster than this guy before he eats me alive with his linoone's speed and boosted attack. All right." Brendan pointed toward the linoone, his confidence building. "Emmy, Dragonbreath!"

"Counter, Linoone, with Shadow Ball!" quickly retaliated Matt.

Both pokémon reared up, one charging up a purple mass of dark, crackling energy in his mouth and the other a bright orange and red ball, the strength from the ball zapping in between the fangs of its owner. Simultaneously, the two creatures released their attacks, and the two attacks clashed forcefully. The Shadow Ball tore into the tip of Emmy's Dragonbreath, splitting the powerful beam into two smaller beams that bound themselves in opposite directions. However, the Shadow Ball was stopped dead in its track the closer it got to its source, and circled in place, building up its own energy while collecting energy from the Dragonbreath. The massive accumulation finally exploded into a blast of powerful, bright energy, kicking up dirt and clouding the two pokémon in sheer light.

While most trainers would have panicked in this situation, Matt, who had competing in the Hoenn League once before, only smiled at the opportunity. "Ha, while their guard is down, Linoone!" commanded Matt cheerfully, snapping his fingers. "Surf!"

Brendan heard this though, and pushing back his nerves, he yelled, "Don't let 'em, Emmy! Shake things up with Earthquake!"

The earth rattled viciously, but Brendan wasn't sure who was causing it. Being familiar with the move "Surf" because of his own swampert, Brendan knew that the user often slammed the ground and created a fissure where water from underground could spurt through if there wasn't a viable water source. However, the constant shaking almost made it seem impossible for the linoone to focus his attack – he hoped.

The light faded away into nothingness, the dust finally settled, and the earth stopped shaking. Brendan quickly clenched his fist together and grit his teeth in worry, hoping to see a dry battlefield. His quick thinking paid off. The linoone did manage to crack the earth so the Surf attack could emerge, but Emmy's Earthquake made it too difficult to summon it without crashing the wave on himself or something else. He snarled, snapping at the vibrava's heels, but the vibrava simply flapped her wings and moved away, sticking out her tongue to taunt him.

Brendan smirked. He was finally getting the hang of this thing.

"Things are finally getting interesting," Matt muttered, shifting his head so the bangs that covered his eyes moved. "No matter. We'll make this fast but still painful. Extreme Speed, Linoone! Hit 'em with everything you got!"

_Ugh! Another one of those will wipe Emmy out for sure!_ Brendan thought frantically in his head as the linoone lowered his head and sped toward the growling vibrava, once again becoming a blur of brown fur. _Stop contemplating, Birch! Use your instincts for once!_

"Uhsandstormdoitnowhurryplease!" shouted Brendan in a blur of words and then scratching his head as to what exactly he said.

Luckily, Emmy had adapted to her trainer's oddness and understood every word, jumping into the air and flapping her wings mightily. Immediately, the hot wind kicked up, along with the dirt, and accelerated toward Matt's half of the battlefield, and everyone groaned, shielding their eyes from the sharp grains of sand that raced past them. Emmy then let out a sigh of relief; the linoone, thanks to the powerful blasts of air and sand, had stopped dead in his track, the tip of his nose a few inches away from the quivering vibrava's body. His eyes were wide as it tried to scratch at Emmy, but couldn't reach her; in fact, it seemed like he was moving backward due to the accelerated wind.

"Toxic," coolly commanded Brendan, shaking off his jitters.

The vibrava opened her mouth, her tongue dripping with a disgusting, black liquid, before spitting the foul liquid right into the linoone's eyes. Linoone screeched in agony and tried to swipe at his eyes to rid himself of the smelly fluid, and by doing so, he lost his footing, hurling backward and skidding on his belly toward Matt's side of the battlefield, grunting. He groggily got back onto his feet, his body shivering with fatigue, shaking his head, trying to wipe the toxic off. The attack stuck fast though.

"That's it, Brendan!" cheered Chris above the cries of the audience and the high pitched whistling of the sandstorm.

"Dammit!" cursed Matt as his linoone slipped deeper and deeper into tiredness, the poison sinking into his system. "Extreme Speed will be too slow with Linoone running against the wind ... I need an attack that will sweep that vibrava off her feet ... Surf again, Linoone!"

Linoone growled again and stomped his forefoot, the fissure he created earlier bubbling with water. The water then burst through in a mighty jet of water, forming into a small yet powerful makeshift wave behind the trembling creature. He then thrust his tail forward powerfully, and the wave obediently followed, quickly making its way toward Brendan's half of the field, crashing down mightily and swallowing the wide-eyed Emmy in its wake. Emmy landed with a loud thunk against the now wet earth near Brendan's feet, and Brendan bent down worriedly, water splashing across his shoes.

Super crap.

"Are you okay, Emmy?" he asked above the whistling of the wind, his voice filled with concern.

Emmy, flat on her belly, only emitted a small squeak in reply and flapped her wings slowly, water dripping off them. She then got onto her twig-like feet and then fluttered back into the air, panting. The sandstorm did take its toll on the powerful wave, and while the Surf attack wasn't as strong as it could have been, it was still enough to knock the air out of a newbie like Emmy. She groggily made her way toward the center where the equally – if not more – tired linoone sat, his eyes weary, the toxic clearly taking its toll on his body.

It was a staring contest now. Blue into green. Quiver against tremble.

Then the linoone fell over in a heap, the toxic finally overtaking his body. He shivered like he were cold as the judge raised the red flag and announced,"Linoone is unable to battle! Brendan's vibrava is the – " He stopped when he heard a thud, and he looked toward the battlefield again. Sure enough, Emmy was flat on her belly like the linoone, her eyes clenched shut. "Strike that from the record! Both linoone and vibrava are unable to battle, so this round is a tie!" the judge declared, raising both flags. The picture of Linoone and Emmy underneath both Brendan's and Matt's pictures respectively faded from the screen, and the audience responded with an odd mix of cheers and boos.

"Return!" both trainers cried simultaneously, returning their pokémon in twin beams of red light.

"You did great, Emmy!" Brendan smiled at the pokéball clutched in his hand and switched balls on his belt.

"That was ... what?" May was puzzled, releasing her hair from the grasp since the sandstorm and the sweeping wind died down. "I thought Emmy would win for sure since that linoone used Belly Drum."

"Well, not necessarily," Chris replied, watching the back of Brendan. "Mind you, Emmy may have trained on her own, but she hadn't really been up against any trainers, especially trainers of this stature. I dare say it was pure luck that Emmy even lasted that long. Hopefully Brendan doesn't make another bad choice like that again."

"Come on out, Rhyhorn!" yelled Matt as he reeled his arm back and threw the pokéball he had grasped in his hand. The ball spiraled before releasing the creature within, a heavy, rocky-plated beast with sharp, beady eyes and a pointy horn at the tip of his triangular face. He snorted and pawed at the ground, thrusting his head backward arrogantly.

"This should be cake for Brendan if he's going to use that swampert of his," said Chris with a nod.

"Let's do this, Thermo!"

"Or not." Chris sighed as May scratched her head again and Wally slapped his forehead with an open palm.

Thermo, Brendan's castform, blinked his huge, clear, blue eyes a few times like Emmy from before, clearly in awe at how big and wide the stadium was. He then looked at his snarling opponent and immediately squeaked in fright, fleeing away from it toward his trainer, his blob-like, gray figure quivering within the boy's arms, causing the audience to laugh.

"Aw, Thermo." Brendan cradled the shivering castform in his arms and cooed softly. "I know this place is scary and that rhyhorn is scarier, but you'll do fine. We've been training for this day for weeks now. I believe in you." He then smiled and let go of Thermo who hovered a few inches away from his face, his head bent down. He then looked up and noticed the determination and pride in his trainer's eyes, and he nodded, smiling back. Hovering back to the center of the field, the castform smirked at the rhyhorn, a smirk that matched his trainer behind him.

"Ha, that puny thing?" Matt scoffed at Brendan's choice. "We'll ram that thing right into unconsciousness! Rhyhorn, Take Down!"

Rhyhorn grunted again and darted toward the determined castform who stared the heavy beast right in the eye.

"Dodge it, Thermo!" commanded Brendan.

Thermo, since he was as light as air, quickly side-stepped (or side-hovered to be precise) before the rhyhorn could thrust his head up to impale the tiny creature with his horn. The rhyhorn halted his assault, skidding a bit since he was too huge to stop straight away and turned around, trying again. Thermo quickly dodged this as well with a shift to his right, staring at the frustrated back of the rhyhorn.

"Well, I guess it kind of makes sense," Chris muttered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, a rhyhorn relies heavily on physical maneuvers, so Thermo would be able to dodge them with ease and retaliate back without much effort. If Thermo has any good moves is the question now really."

"Let's make it cold, Thermo! Hail!" ordered Brendan with a smile.

Thermo twirled a bit in place, his blue eyes glowing before he stopped to sway back and forth in place, the gray antenna on his head wavering. Slowly but surely, clouds, light gray yet somewhat tinted with a dull green, formed overhead, covering the sun and casting the stadium in gloom. Something from above rumbled, and the once hot wind turned into a chilling, whipping air current. The rattling got louder, and hailstones fell rapidly from the sky, small yet still annoying, causing both the audience and Brendan's opponent to groan. Like the weather, Thermo also began to change shape. His gray, tear-drop shaped figure changed into a round purple, a swirly, clear green substance shaped much like the clouds above him protecting his head.

Matt lifted an arm up to protect his face from the rapidly dropping hailstones and commanded, "Megahorn!"

Rhyhorn emitted a low battle cry and charged down the field, ignoring the hailstones that beat his body (occasionally breaking a few with his powerful head), the horn on his glowing. His thumping got louder the closer he got to the castform, and he rammed his sharp horn into the gel-like substance of Thermo, sending the poor creature flying high. With a small, high-pitched squeal, Thermo flipped several times in the air before regaining stability, his eyes dazed and his body shaking from the attack.

Brendan looked up – or tried to without getting a face full of hailstones – and shouted, "While you're up there, Thermo, use Ice Beam!"

"Retreat, Rhyhorn!" countered Matt quickly.

Rhyhorn turned on his heels, impaling more hailstones with his horn and fled back toward his end of his field as Thermo took in a deep breath and exhaled a baby blue beam of ice, cold mist drifting from it. The Ice Beam narrowly missed the rhyhorn as he sidestepped, and Thermo tried again, missing the rhyhorn by a hair. Frustrated, the castform, his eyes narrowed, released another beam of ice, this one hitting the rhyhorn's back left leg. Rhyhorn stuck fast and grunted, trying to shake himself free.

"Great!" Brendan cheered now that his moving target was now at a standstill. "Ice Beam again!"

Matt's eye began to twitch. "Dammit! Block your body with Rock Blast, Rhyhorn!"

Thermo hovered down a bit took in a deep breath of air, exhaling the same blue beam of ice as the cross rhyhorn dug the tip of his horn into the ground and flung a chunk of earth behind him, repeating the process, hoping it would interrupt Thermo's attack. Thermo had to dodge a bit so he wouldn't get hit, the Ice Beam he released earlier hitting one of Rhyhorn's rocks. The rock, like a gigantic hailstone, fell toward the earth near the back of the rhyhorn, shattering the ice that encased his back foot. Rhyhorn turned around and snarled, making Thermo squeak.

Fantastic crap.

"Megahorn again!" ordered Matt, his eyebrows furrowing. "Let's wipe the floor with that pipsqueak!"

Again, the rhyhorn charged, his horn glowing with power toward the shaking Thermo. The icy rock that fell toward the earth earlier gave Brendan an idea though.

"Weather Ball, Thermo!"

Thermo nodded, his body glowing a light blue, and hail began to drop more rapidly. The castform then thrust his body forward, and a huge hailstone from behind sped toward the charging rhyhorn like a comet. The heavy hailstone then collided with the rhyhorn's triangular head sickeningly, stopping him dead in his tracks, his eyes dazed. He then flopped over, his eyes clenched shut.

The judge raised the red flag as the picture of Matt's rhyhorn faded from the screen. "Rhyhorn is unable to battle! Brendan's castform wins!"

The audiences cheered themselves into a frenzy as Matt returned his rhyhorn, and Thermo flew into his trainer's open arms, cuddling into his chest proudly.

"You did awesome, Thermo!" Brendan hugged his pokémon as his pokémon smiled widely. "Are you still willing to fight?"

The castform nodded and squeezed his way out of Brendan's arms, floating back toward the battlefield, awaiting for Brendan's opponent to release his final pokémon.

"That pipsqueak of yours is lucky, but he'll never be able to stand up to this one!" Matt enlarged the pokéball he had grasped in his hand and threw it toward the field. "Come on out, Vileplume!"

The ball broke up and released the pokémon inside. A gigantic red flower, her petals dotted with white spots, emerged, waving her short arms. Underneath the heavy flower was the black base of the pokémon where her face was held. She smiled, her red eyes blinking a few times while crying her name.

"Let's heat things up! Sunny Day!" ordered Matt.

Vileplume waved her arms in the air again before twirling in place, much like what Thermo did to make it hail, and like a knife cutting through butter, the clouds parted and the sun shone cheerfully – almost annoyingly – upon the stadium. The audience shielded their eyes from the intense rays.

Brendan raised a hand to block the sun's rays from his eyes as he watched Thermo's transparent, swirly green form transformed into a rounder, orange shape. Somewhat like the previous form, Thermo's head was protected by an orange, gel-like substance and several smaller orange balls, imitating the sun's rays. "Awesome. That'll make Thermo's Weather Ball fire-type, perfect for fighting a grass type." He pointed at his opponent's pokémon. "Weather Ball, Thermo!"

Thermo nodded, his body glowing an intense orange, a ball of energy forming overhead. He then thrust the ball toward the dancing vileplume.

"Solarbeam, Vileplume!" countered Matt gruffly.

Extraordinary crap.

Vileplume smiled widely and inhaled, the center of her flower growing brightly before releasing a powerful beam of light that raced toward Brendan's half of the field. The sheer force of the attack knocked Thermo's Weather Ball off course, sending the ball hurtling into the ground, and toward the bewildered castform who took the attack on, screeching as it flew backward, landing head first into the ground. He laid still on the floor, his wiggly body shaking with fatigue until the judge declared,

"Castform is unable to battle! Matt's vileplume wins!"

Like the rhyhorn before him, Thermo's picture faded when Brendan recalled his pokémon and thanked him for a job well done before putting the pokéball back on his belt. He then ran a finger over the glossy surface of each individual pokéball, pondering who to choose next. Muddy was definitely out due to the type disadvantage. Valiant would be a good choice since grass attacks were weak against steel, but Brendan wasn't too sure how Valiant's own move set would work against a grass type. Sirius wouldn't do much good either.

"Type advantage. Right. And that Sunny Day will also work to our advantage." Brendan plucked a pokéball from his belt and enlarged it, throwing it toward the field. "Come on out, Cinders!"

The ball spiraled before the creature released herself, landing gracefully on all fours before immediately sitting on her hind legs to lick her right front paw. She then looked up, her brown eyes shiny and wide, taking in the screaming audience. It was no other than Brendan's young (and oh so cutsey wutsey as he would add) vulpix. She then smiled at her opponent, immediately assuming that the vileplume wanted to be friends with her instead of pummeling her into the ground.

"Cinders, Will o' Wisp!" commanded her trainer.

Cinders merely blinked again before standing up on all fours, just realizing that she was in a battle. Opening her mouth partially, revealing her baby teeth (yet still sharp nonetheless), a blue flame rested on the tip of her tongue. She then blew this flame out of her mouth, and the blue flame danced and swirled, making its way toward the vileplume. Entranced by the "pretty" flame, Vileplume walked a few steps, her arms outstretched as if to touch the flames despite her trainer hollering not to. She then screamed as the hot flame licked her hand, severely burning her.

This didn't make Matt panic though. "Aromatherapy, Vileplume!"

Vileplume took her hand out of her mouth to soothe the burn and squatted a bit before jumping out, releasing a swirly, shiny pink mist that drifted with the hot wind. The audience sighed dreamily as the sweet smell wafted over them. This same mist then drifted down toward Vileplume's burn, and whirled around it, magically healing her burn.

Dammit crap. Wait, what?

Brendan scratched his head at his latest "crap" thought as the vileplume began to dance in place again, the burn no longer affecting her. "Ugh. I forgot that Aromatherapy heals burns or paralysis or anything like that. No matter. Flamethrower, Cinders!"

Cinders charged at her foe, her head bent down, before releasing a powerful blaze of flames from her mouth, the flames quickly engulfing the grass type. Vileplume squealed, clenching her eyes shut, waving her arms frantically in the air and tried running around to escape the attack. Cinders only shifted her head slightly the more she moved though.

"Get it together, Vileplume, and use Petal Dance!" shouted Matt.

Vileplume opened her eyes firmly and, despite the inferno, managed to stand on one foot, twirling in place. She then darted toward toward the vulpix, her spins getting faster, pushing past the Flamethrower toward its source, knocking the vulpix off her feet. Cinders immediately stopped her attack as she flew backwards, landing on her back with a rough thud. She groggily got back onto her feet, shaking her head to get rids of the stars that blurred her vision, noticing that the rapidly spinning vileplume was still targeting her.

"Dodge, Cinders, with Quick Attack!" commanded Brendan.

Cinders ran from left to right and the speedy vileplume spun toward her, quickly sidestepping whenever she came too close. She kicked up dirt in her path, her innocent eyes narrowing as she concentrated on not getting hit in the vileplume's wake. The poor being panted, clearly getting tired from having to dodge so quickly.

"Try stopping it with Swift, Cinders!" Brendan ordered.

Cinders ran a bit to get a bit farther away from the spinning vileplume and then jumped, turning around, her back arched. Opening her mouth, a flurry of sharp, gold stars flew toward the twirling vileplume.

"Spin faster and reflect it right back!" Matt countered triumphantly.

The vileplume obeyed and spun in place, spinning faster. The Swift attack bombarded her, but the quick acceleration from her spin, like Matt anticipated, reflected the stars in different directions, one direction being the unaware Cinders. Before she could do anything, Cinders took a few of the stars to the head, slamming heavily into the ground, twitching. Vileplume finally stopped spinning, regaining stability by standing on both feet. She lifted her hands to her heavy flower top, swaying a bit like she were dizzy.

"Well at least that thing got confused," Brendan muttered, watching as his vulpix shakily got onto all fours. "Hang in there, Cinders, and use Flamethrower again!"

"Fight back with Solarbeam, Vileplume!"

The vileplume seemed to be in too much in a daze to aim properly, releasing a bright beam of light upward at no particular target while the vulpix, once again, trotted toward the grass type, her mouth full of flames. She then opened her mouth, releasing the barrage of fire that quickly licked at the vileplume's foliage. The vileplume squealed, dancing in place again like it would alleviate the pain. She then stopped moving, causing Cinders to stop her attack, and stood still, smoke rising from her charcoal-black flower. She then fell backwards, exhausted.

"What the! I can't lose to some rookie!" complained Matt, stomping the ground furiously as he returned his pokémon.

"Vileplume is unable to battle! Brendan Birch from Littleroot is the winner!" announced the judge, raising the red flag as Brendan rushed onto the battlefield and scooped up his young vulpix in his arms, hugging it tightly. Cinders melted into his arms, a lump of exhaustion, but managed to lick her trainer's face happily.

"You did awesome, Cinders!" exclaimed Brendan, hugging his pokémon tighter, noticing his picture and the three pokémon he used in battle take over the screen with the words "Congratulations!" written to the side. He then looked up, noticing that a disgruntled Matt was heading outside the stadium. "What a sore loser ... Oh well." Giving his pokémon a final cuddle, he returned her into her pokéball for some well deserved rest and looked at the audience who were still cheering excitedly at the battle that took place. He nervously waved at them, overwhelmed by all the screams again.

Okay, don't crap ... in your pants.

He then exited quickly just in case he did so.

* * *

"Cheers!" said Brendan later that day as he raised his glass of soda, his three friends clinking their own cups with his. They then drank, Brendan immediately burping from the carbonation and May nudging him in the arm from doing so, disgusted.

It was a good day. All four trainers managed to win their first rounds at the league, and they anxiously awaited for news of their new opponent for tomorrow. Until then though, Brendan suggested the celebrate for making it this far by eating dinner at a local restaurant in the buzzing town of Evergrande. They weren't alone in this idea. After waiting thirty minutes in a narrow hallway with no chairs, the four managed to get seated at a cramped booth, the table still sticky from the last occupants that sat there and the seats littered with crumbs. A lamp with a dim, crackling light bulb swung overhead, making it difficult to read the menus, but it didn't really matter to the trainers; they were too happy to care.

"My god, Brendan. You were lucky with those battles," muttered Chris as he took his drink and swirled the straw around before taking a sip from it. "Weren't the three pokémon you used some of your newest additions?"

"Well, Emmy is certainly. I've had Thermo for awhile, though I guess I can see why people think he's new; he is pretty tiny. Cinders has been here awhile too; she's just young."

"Whateverrr." Chris rolled his eyes and squinted his eyes to read his menu again.

"I'm too excited to eat. And nervous," remarked May, clutching onto Brendan's arm and bouncing in her seat a bit to shake off her jitters. "Oh, I hope I get someone easy to battle."

The green-haired trainer opposite of her snorted at this. "Pfft, where's the fun in that?" murmured Wally, making sure not to make eye contact with the girl who snapped her head toward him and glared. "Don't you want to see how to see if your training was done in vain or not? The point of the league is to battle some of the toughest trainers and see how well you amount to them."

"Oh really?" May huffed. "I thought the point of the league was to win. Was my hypothesis wrong, Wally? Tell me. I can fix it. Or maybe it was right at first, but OH NO, it was wrong in the end! But please tell me before I get too deep into it!"

"Latios ... No need to be so bitter about it," replied an eye rolling Wally, resting his eyes on the ceiling. "Just saying, that's all."

There was an awkward silence as Chris whistled innocently to himself and Brendan pried his arm free of May's grasp to play with his pokénav.

"So ..." he said, trying to change the conversation, not ripping his eyes away from the small screen of the device. "I like trees. Trees are cool. They help us breathe and they ... uh ... make good ... Christmas trees? Yes. I like trees."

"I know that since the second time I met you you were staring at one," quickly replied May without thinking. "Wait ..." She then blinked, scratching her head. "... I really do hate deja vu."

"I know."

"Hurry! Turn it up louder!" The four trainers turned their heads in alarm as anxious trainers crowded below one of the mounted television sets on the wall, pushing and shoving each other out of the way. One of the taller trainers managed to lean over the shorter ones to push the volume button all the way to its max.

"That's right, trainers! The league has finally sorted its list of who's competing in round two of the Hoenn League, so check your pokénavs to see who you're competing against tomorrow!" exclaimed the cheery voice of the anchorwoman.

Sure enough, the pokénav in Brendan's hand buzzed, indicating that it received a new message, and, like clockwork, the trainers in the restaurant, including the three sitting with him, pulled out their pokénavs from their pockets anxiously, flipping through the message and scrolling down the list to find their name. Brendan, since his last name started with a B, quickly found his name near the top of the list and sighed in relief; he wouldn't be facing May. Or Wally or Chris for that matter. Chris echoed his same relieved sigh. He too would be facing some random trainer that he didn't care about.

Then there was a gasp, first from May and then quickly followed by Wally. Brendan raised an eyebrow at this and scrolled down a bit, finding May's name on the list.

"Heh. Ex boyfriend against ex girlfriend, huh?" remarked a chuckling Chris, noticing this himself on his own pokénav. He then placed the device down as he swirled around his drink, taking a swig out of it, not noticing the tense glares that Wally and May were giving each other. He wiped at his mouth and smiled. "Tomorrow's battles should be hella interesting ..."

* * *

Longggg battle chapter. Fwee. Next one should be much more dramatic. ;P

Below is another spoiler of HLBMA's _possibleee_ sequel. Read if you want!

LaTeR dAyZ!

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_Sneak peek of **The Battle Frontier: A Brendan and May Adventure Continues**_ ...

There was something ... zany, to say the least, about this tropius. For starters, she was trying to eat the leaves off herself. That was pretty abnormal. She also seemed spacey, and there was this dazed look in her eyes.

"I guess she is kind of ... cute," May remarked to herself, approaching the cannibalistic tropius slowly, noticing that the tropius had her teeth bared as she tried gnawing on the huge leaves on her back. "In the 'I-eat-my-own-hair' sort of way. What do you think is wrong with her, Wally?"

Wally tentatively walked ahead of May and delicately touched the tropius with the tips of his fingers. His touch must have triggered something in the huge creature, for she let out a mighty roar and stomped the ground, knocking Wally to the ground. She wasn't yelling at the poor boy though but the oak tree next to him.

"What ... the ... hell?" Wally crawled his way back toward May and stood up, both bewilderingly watching as the tropius continued shouting at the tree from the top of her lungs, her voice echoing and her lips flapping.

"She looks so helpless," said May sympathetically, shaking her head sadly. "Poor thing ..."

Wally shrugged. "I don't thinks she's helpless," he replied simply. "Troubled, maybe. But not helpless."

May eyed Wally oddly as the tropius continued roaring at the tree. "Oh, really? Why do you think that?"

"Well, she doesn't take crap from trees for starters."


	61. Love is Dead

**Disclaimer**: I own it not.

Muddy: ... Crap, this story isn't done yet? (sigh)

Hush, child. Almost.

Muddy: I too old for 'dis.

Technically you're only, like, one year old.

Muddy: I thought I was five!

No, the story is five years old. You are one.

Muddy: One ... set of five years old?

No. Just one year old.

Muddy: ... Then why do I look so old?

Please stop talking. o.- I had super trouble writing this chapter. Not that I had writer's block or anything, but I always got sidetracked or bored or something. Seriously, I listened to pokémon battle music to write this crap, though I will admit the anime battle music is pretty epic. :3 And nostalgic.

Muddy: Seriously! I'm only one?

(ignores) Sinnoh's music was boring though. (adds more things to her "hate-on-Sinnoh" list) :3

Muddy: STOP IGNORING ME!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Love is Dead**

**

* * *

**

Things were awkward. Tense. And kind of smelly.

But mostly awkward.

Brendan obviously understood why. Wally and May's awesome ten day relationship ended on such a bad note, and neither party had the chance to reconcile with each other. So it was no wonder that each party was sitting on opposite sides of the waiting room, glaring at each other with Brendan as the reluctant referee, sitting in between his "kind-of-sort-of-not-really" girlfriend and his "once-rival-now-friend-but-still-rival" ... friend ... rival ... thing.

New definitions; he needed them. But that was besides the point.

Brendan had his battle at five in the afternoon today, so he didn't have to deal with the tension between Wally and May for a good portion of the day. After a hour and a half of strained silence, Brendan now saw why an irritated Chris stormed out of their hotel room as soon as he returned from his battle, a battle he easily won he might add. In the strained hour and a half that he had been there, Brendan memorized the ugly wallpaper that decorated the waiting room, a striped blue and white with every third stripe decorated with a line of pokéballs. There was a television mounted in the corner playing the battle before Wally's and May's, but no one was really paying attention to it. There were metal seats, a lot of them, lined up in rows of ten where impatient trainers waited for their turn to battle. Slowly but surely they trickled out, two by two, until Brendan, May, and Wally were the last in the room. Wally's and May's battle was at eight at night – the last of the day.

Brendan turned his head toward the clock on the wall, watching as the minute hand slowly crept toward the ten. Ten more minutes. "Can, um, someone talk?" he asked rather meekly, turning his head toward May.

"Fine," said May in a stiff voice, not ripping her eyes away from the green-haired trainer who was glaring back at her. She crossed her arms. "Talk."

"Uh ..." Brendan scratched his head. He then snapped his fingers. "Knock, knock!"

No one answered for awhile until Wally replied, "Who's there?" in a low, growling voice.

"Ivysaur!" Brendan remarked cheerfully.

"Ivysaur who?"

Brendan did his best to contain his laughter, his cheeks turning red from holding it in. "Ivysaur knuckle from knocking so much!" And thus proceeded the peals of laughter from the corny joke, Brendan clutching his stomach and laughing loudly, redness bathing over his face. No one laughed with him though, and the white-haired trainer quickly regained composure, sitting up straight again and clearing his throat. He readjusted the green bandanna that went askew on his head and finally gave a hopeless sigh.

"Is this how it's going to be forever between you two?" he muttered, scowling. "Glaring contests? Awkward silence? Not laughing at my awesome jokes?"

No answer.

"Psh!" Brendan let out a flustered huff and slouched in his chair, looking at the clock again. Only one minute passed. Latios, let the battle before theirs end soon ...

As if his prayers were answered, loud applause from the speakers on the television exploded and echoed in the room, causing all three trainers to turn their heads toward the screen. A triumphant victor waved toward the crowds in one shot while the loser, slouched over, trudged his way toward the winner to congratulate him. A knock on the metal door caused the three trainers to turn their heads again.

"You have ten minutes to get onto the battlefield, Wally and May," said the man who knocked, peeking his head around the door. "We're right on time, so your battle should be at eight as planned." He then nodded before taking off, leaving two glaring trainers and one bewildered one.

Trying to break the tension, Brendan stood up quickly and looked at May first and then Wally as they both stood up, not taking their eyes off each other. "Well ..." he remarked, throwing his arms in the air excitedly. "Your two get to battle soon! Aren't you both excited?"

"Meh," was the simple reply from both as they made their way to the door toward the long hallway that eventually lead to the battlefield. Both glaring trainers reached the door from opposite sides at the same time, standing, watching, and waiting to see who would go past first. Giving in, Wally shrugged and started to step through the door only for May to promptly knock him over onto his rear by pushing the him down with her hand. She walked down the hallway, a slight stomp in her step as the two boys, one wide eyed and one furious, watched her.

"I – what the – how can I – She's really pissing me off!" Wally finally managed to get out, hopping onto his feet and brushing his pants annoyingly. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well, you kind of lead her on, didn't you?" Brendan murmured with a slight eye roll as the two stood in the door frame.

"Oh, come on!" Wally huffed, blowing up the bangs on his forehead. "She already knew I was unsure the first time I rejected her! That's not my fault."

"Again, you still lead her on by going out with her."

Wally crossed his arms and leaned against metal the door frame, the cold metal pricking the hairs on his skin. "Whatever." His eyes traveled down the hall toward the double doors ahead, the lights of the stadium seeping through its cracks. "Why aren't you mad at me about that anyway?"

Brendan shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I probably should, but May is already giving you hell, and well, things worked out splendidly for me, didn't it?" He gave Wally a cheeky little smile and clasped him on the back, urging him forward. "Go on. Get your butt out there and good luck. I'll see you out there."

"You? Wishing me luck?" asked Wally ludicrously, an eyebrow raised as he walked slowly toward the double doors, his head turning a bit to look at Brendan. "Do you want me to win?"

"I didn't say that. I just wished you luck. Stop assuming things."

Wally merely gave a lazy motion of his hand in response, getting smaller and smaller the closer he got to the doors. Brendan watched as Wally pushed on the metal bar, cold air rushing past and whipping down the hallway, as he trembled a bit, crossing his arms to contain his body heat. The roars from the crowd were tremendous, as always, and the lights from the stadium were blinding him even at such a distance. Wally stepped outside and closed the door behind him, leaving Brendan in shivering silence as he walked in the opposite direction toward the stadium seats, his footsteps echoing in the narrow hall.

After a few minutes of walking into the crowded audience, scanning said audience for Chris, and a video call where he had to scream to be heard, Brendan managed to find his friend sitting in the fourth row, a seat saved for him. He squeezed his way past some peeved off trainers, sometimes retaliating back with his own eye roll, before making it to Chris, clipping his pokénav back onto his belt.

"Well, that wasn't hell to get through or anything!" he yelled over the roar of the crowd, plopping himself on the hard, cold bench.

"Yeah! I bet they drove you nuts!" Chris shouted back, misinterpreting what Brendan really said, peering around a particularly wide individual who decided to stand up to look at the battlefield. He waved back toward the sheepish Wally who made his way toward the trainer box on his left. He then turned his head slightly toward the right to look at May, her head bowed down as she scuffed her foot along the grainy dirt.

Brendan also examined the sight in front of him. Glaring bright stadium lights lit not only the battlefield and its occupants but the audience as well, almost blinding him. It was almost impossible to see the stars above, fading out because of the light, and somewhere underneath the bright rays was the moon. He then looked at the jumbo screen, looking at the time in the upper right hand corner. The glaring red of the digital clock flashed a bit before revealing the time: Exactly eight. And like that, the audience seemed to hush itself from its frenzy as the familiar voice of the announcer boomed over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our last battle of the night!" he cried, stirring up the audience once more. He waited before speaking so he could be heard. "On the red side, we have May Maple from Littleroot!" Again, he paused as people screamed, including a cheering Brendan and Chris. "And representing the green flag is Wally Wood from Petalburg City!"

Brendan looked onward curiously, and for once in his life, it wasn't the battle he was most interested in – okay, he was still interested in the battles – but the reactions of the trainers. Would May's anger toward the green-haired trainer effect her battle style? Would Wally be able to keep his cool?

"I know we all must be tired of hearing it by now, but we must go over the rules for the sake of our trainers," remarked the announcer amongst the groans from the audience. "Like yesterday's battles, both trainers are allowed to only use three pokémon each with switching permitted after each battle! No time limit! The trainer that is able to knock out three of his or her opponent's pokémon is the winner and will move on to the next round! Unlike yesterday's battle though, a field type will be chosen at random! Please watch the board to see what field our trainers will be battling on!"

Everyone turned their heads toward a jumbo screen, a digital spinner taking over the board. The spinner was divided into four sections, each section having a different symbol on it. With several small beeps that resonated through the stadium, the arrow spun around the spinner, gaining speed. Past the ice symbol, past the water symbol, past the rock symbol, past the grass symbol, and so on, the spiraling a hypnotic spell. With everyone's eyes glued to the screen, the arrow eventually slowed down, beeping once more before landing right dab in the middle of the grass section.

"The grass section," commented the announcer as the audience cheered. "While simple in structure, the grass field has been used to many trainers' advantage. Let's see how both our trainers will do on this field. Now, if you please, reveal the grass field!"

There was a loud rumble, shaking the stadium to its core, as the battlefield in front of Wally and May slowly slid backward into the sides, kicking up dust and shushing the stadium. An empty, black space lay before the trainers until more rumbling commenced, a platform rising and halting as it reached the top, the metal gears below it grinding and screeching. Unlike Brendan's icy battlefield, a battlefield he will proudly declare he detested, the grass battlefield lived up to its name. Grass, short and finely trimmed, grew in the middle where a white, chalky line divided the two sides. Along the border and scattered throughout the rest of the field was knee deep long grass that swayed in the chilly breeze; it would be perfect hiding spots for smaller pokémon.

Then came the statement that every audience member waited to hear:

"When you're ready, wave down your flags to start the battle, judge!" cried the announcer.

The judge, clad in his usual uniform, looked at Wally first and then May before nodding firmly, lowering his arms quickly, bringing the flags down with it. "Begin!" he declared.

"All right, Delcatty, show your stuff!" yelled Wally, plucking a ball from his belt and throwing it toward the battlefield. The ball broke as it hit the ground, releasing a graceful feline pokémon May was familiar with. The delcatty purred softly as she shook her slender, tan-furred body before sitting on her hind legs, licking her paw delicately and raising an eyebrow at the opposing trainer in front of her.

May contemplated for a bit, examining both the field and Wally's first choice before picking her own pokéball, enlarging it with the press of a button. Reeling her arm back, she shouted, "Come on out, Thunderbolt!" as she thrust her arm forward, her fingers running past the smooth surface of the ball. In a blur of red and white, the ball hit the ground with a loud thud before relinquishing the beast within, a determined creature of blue and yellow fur that crackled as jolts of electricity ran up and down his body. He stared at the delcatty in front of him, his head cocked to his side in confusion, but he quickly realized that this wasn't Skittles, May's own delcatty.

"Start things off with Quick Attack, T.B.!" commanded May, pointing her finger at her opponent.

Thunderbolt grunted as he pawed at the ground, lowering his head before sprinting toward the sitting delcatty, still licking her paw. The manectric's feet trampled over the grass, flattening it, as he snorted again, thrusting his head upward as he reached the delcatty, sending the feline flying. With a yowl, the delcatty flipped a flew times in the air before regaining stability, landing gracefully on all fours and hissing at the smirking T.B., eyes narrowed.

"Charm," coolly commanded the green-haired trainer.

Delcatty's eyes immediately widened themselves into big, brown ones that blinked rapidly, her cute, little nose twitching and a pretty, little smile on her face. Thunderbolt merely blinked before shaking his head. No, he wouldn't think this delcatty was cute – he was, and forever will be, Skittles, even if she was with that annoying mightyena.

"Ha!" laughed May mockingly. "Like that's going to help you! Use Bite, T.B.!"

Again, Thunderbolt ran toward his opponent's side of his field, his jaw open wide, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth that glinted in the light of the stadium. With a snarl, he clamped down hard at the delcatty's mid back, his teeth sinking past her soft fur and into her flesh. He felt the delcatty's muscles tense up, and his ears pricked up as he heard her howl again. He almost wanted to release her from his grip – the yells were heart wrenching.

Wait, _why_ were they heart wrenching? It's not like he had a thing for this delcatty, right?

"Charm 'em again, Delcatty!" said Wally with a small smile.

Delcatty turned her head a bit to look the bewildered manectric in the eye, trying to ignore the pain that his sharp teeth were inflicting upon her back. Her already wide, brown eyes sparkled in the light and were a little watery, something so pure and innocent that the manectric couldn't fight back. He quickly released the delcatty from his grip and bowed his head apologetically as the delcatty sniffled, tears running down her face.

"What is he doing?" muttered Chris, scratching his head. "He hasn't done anything offensive yet! At this rate, this battle is going to be over fast."

"I don't know," Brendan replied in an unsure tone. "That one double battle I had with Wally at Mossdeep taught me a lot about his battle style. He doesn't like referring to physical maneuvers when he doesn't have to. In fact, I think he likes observing then manipulating his opponent's attacks to use it against them. A lot of mind boggling stuff really."

"Ah," simply remarked Chris, rubbing his chin, watching the battle intently. "Well, I guess that makes sense. You told me that he had sick before he started traveling, right? He had to rely on his wits to get by instead of physical strength, so I suppose that's where his battle style was adopted from. Meh, Brendan. I still stand by my point. Delcattys aren't exactly the strongest of the bunch in terms of defense."

"You're forgetting all those Charm attacks he's using. That's lowering T.B.'s attack."

"I guess."

"Either way, and don't you dare tell him I said this, but I wouldn't want to be the one facing Wally for a league battle."

"Keep it up, Delcatty!" rooted Wally. "Keep using that Charm attack!"

Delcatty nodded and batted her eyes, her eyelashes long and curled. She smiled wider, causing the manectric to go weak in the knees, his heart beating rapidly, his stomach twisting in nervousness yet it wasn't from the battle. Why was he feeling this way?

May was just as confused by Wally's battle style – why wasn't he doing anything? Not that it mattered; she'll end this battle quickly.

"Quick Attack again!" she commanded, smirking.

Thunderbolt blinked at the command and reluctantly obeyed, bowing his head and pawing at the ground again before darting over toward the calm delcatty, ramming his hard head into her fluffy, sweet-smelling fur – gah, what was coming over him? This wasn't the time to notice how cute that damn delcatty was or how sweet she smelled. This was time to focus.

The manectric continued running, his head pushing the delcatty back until he lost his footing and toppled over, sending the two skidding across the grass, blades loosening themselves from the ground and flying backward with them. Thunderbolt landed on top, groaning in pain as the delcatty below him mewed in agony. He groggily got back up, finding footing on the grass, the quivering delcatty still underneath him. He then looked into her shiny eyes, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn't move; her very presence made him feel nervous. He hadn't felt this way in awhile. In fact, the first time he felt this way was when he realized he liked Skittles.

Oh, no. Did he love this delcatty, too?

"Well, isn't that a cute sight?" declared the announcer over the speaker amongst the "aws" in the crowd. "It seems like May's manectric has fallen in love with Wally's delcatty!"

"Perfect, Delcatty," remarked Wally, his smile growing wider as his delcatty slid away from the manectric to stand back up, turning her head toward her trainer to smile back.

"What the hell!" May screeched, throwing her arms up in the air out of frustrating. Her fingers then clenched the top of her head, her teeth gritting. "T.B., this isn't the time to fall in love! Snap out of it!"

Back in the audience, Brendan laughed a bit at the sight, looking at the jumbo screen and noticing the smirk on Wally's face and the angry frown on May's. "I get it now!" he shouted, smiling, snapping his fingers. "Wally allowed May to keep using physical maneuvers on delcatty hoping that all the physical contact would trigger his delcatty's Cute Charm ability. Cute Charm, as everyone knows, makes pokémon of the opposite gender infatuated with them. Likewise, he also kept using that Charm attack to weaken Thunderbolt's attack so all the attacks his delcatty was receiving wouldn't be too damaging!"

"Way to point out the obvious, Captain Obvious," muttered Chris, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up. And it couldn't have been _that_ obvious if May didn't do anything to stop him."

"Grr!" May growled, fists clenched against her sides. "Focus, T.B., and use Charge!"

Thunderbolt merely stared at Wally's delcatty, unmoving, entranced, his eyes glazed over. Delcatty acted coy, bowing her head a little and looking at the manectric through her thick eyelashes.

"Delcatty, use Return!"

Delcatty seemed to glow a bit, though it could be a trick from the stadium lights, before dashing over toward the still dazed T.B., tackling into him and sending him skidding backward into a thick patch of long grass. Slowly, the very tip of T.B.'s yellow head came into view, slightly hidden amongst the grass, before he brushed past the itchy plant and into the open field, looking a bit groggy but still fit to fight. He smiled dreamily at the delcatty, not caring that she hit him.

"Come on, T.B.!" pleaded May. "Focus! Use Spark!"

Again, Thunderbolt didn't move, too enthralled by delcatty's charm.

"Toxic, Delcatty!" ordered Wally.

The delcatty opened her mouth, revealing black liquid dripping from her teeth before shooting the smelly liquid right at T.B.'s face. The manectric blinked twice, his bright, blue eyes shining through the black liquid, and he howled in return, clearly angry even if infatuated with the delcatty. Charging up, his fur crackling with electricity, T.B. dashed toward the smirking delcatty and rammed his head into her, the jolts of electricity from his body jumping onto her, zapping her. She howled as well and managed to kick T.B. off, standing back up, dazed, teeth clenched, electricity running up and down her spine.

"Atta boy, T.B.! One more of those and she's done for!" cheered May as her manectric jumped back onto his side of the battlefield. He then looked worriedly at the delcatty; did he really hurt her? He hoped he didn't; he liked her after all.

Wally gazed at his delcatty with concern, noticing the way she was standing. She was stiff, her joints locked up, and the look on her face told him that she was struggling to move. Delcatty wasn't one to react scared stiff when attacked, so most likely she was paralyzed from the electric move. No matter. He'll give her time to recover.

"Baton Pass, Delcatty!" said Wally, noticing the bewildered look on May's face.

"What!" he heard her shout as his delcatty closed her eyes, a red light blanketing her body before she returned to her ball, leaving behind a gaping manectric who pined for her to come back. "That's not fair! You're not allowed to return pokémon in the middle of a battle!"

"Please, May," he muttered, plucking another ball from his belt and enlarging it with a press of a button. "It's a legitimate move."

The judge from the sidelines heard their conversation and nodded. "That's right," he remarked, crossing his arms. "While you can't manually return a pokémon into its ball in the middle of the battle, moves such as Baton Pass or Roar are still fair play. No illegal moves were made."

May huffed, annoyed, putting her hands on her hips. "Fine! I'll still beat you even if you do cheat!"

Wally rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's do it," he threw the pokéball in his hand toward the field, "Roselia!"

Wally's pokéball landed somewhere in a patch of long grass, white light exploding from the middle of it. Since roselia was so short and her body was green, she blended in with the long grass, leaving both her opposing trainer and pokémon confused.

"Stay in the long grass, Roselia, and use Magical Leaf!"

Somewhere in the thickets, Roselia chirped her name, and immediately, a flurry of multicolored petals flew from the grass toward the unaware manectric, the sharp sides of the petals digging into his skin, causing him to lose his footing and send him hurtling across the battlefield. He twitched, slowly getting back onto his feet and snorting, his head darting back and forth, trying to find his opponent.

"Keep moving and use Magical Leaf again!" ordered Wally with a triumphant smirk.

May growled under her breath. "Keep your guard up, T.B. and dodge the attack if you can!" she countered.

Petals, again, flew from the long grass, targeting T.B., but the manectric flipped in the air, barely dodging them. He then ducked, his paws over his head as another set of multicolored petals zoomed toward him. Alert, he got back up, ready to move quickly if necessary, his head moving back and forth. The poison from the Toxic attack was kicking in though, running through his veins and draining him of his energy.

"Mm, quick," Wally murmured to himself. "Let's see if he can dodge this though. Hidden Power, Roselia!"

There was something tense in the air as the breeze blew by, the grass swaying to the right. Roselia's voice was barely heard underneath the whispering wind, but it slowly grew in pitch and volume. Her body basked itself in white light, shining through the grass, and before T.B. could run over and tackle the being, the rose pokémon released the light into balls of energy, flying in every direction. One of the balls of light directed itself toward the wide-eyed T.B. who tried to run for it. He was too late though, for the ball of light slid under his belly and hit upward, sending him flying up.

"Finish this up, Roselia! Magical Leaf again!" shouted Wally, his eyes fixated on the manectric.

Roselia cried her name and jumped out of the grass, revealing herself, her roses raised. Closing her eyes, she began to spin on her needle-thin legs, gaining speed before releasing a flurry of colorful petals that directly hit their target, the sharp foliage tearing at his skin. T.B. was cut, bruised, and battered before he even hit the floor, a pile of twitching limbs, his eyes clenched shut. He struggled to get up, his muscles tense, before he fell back down on his belly, exhausted.

The judge raised May's red flag and declared, "Manectric is unable to battle! Roselia wins!" amongst the cheers.

A disgruntled May returned her defeated pokémon, whispering words of gratitude into his pokéball before switching balls on her belt. "You won't be able to stand up to this one! Come on out, Flare!"

The girl threw the ball toward the open field, and the ball burst open, revealing the tall, lean figure of a blaziken, her claws already up in flames and a determined smirk across her face. This was the moment she was waiting for. She then looked curiously back and forth across the grassy battlefield; where exactly was her opponent?

"Darn. That roselia must have gone back into hiding when I wasn't looking," murmured May, crossing her arms and scowling.

"Let's get the first hit in, Roselia!" commanded Wally, fists clenched at his sides, reacting fast. "Hidden Power again!"

"Bulk Up, Flare!" May quickly countered.

Like before, roselia's body, hidden among the grass, began to glow a bright white as did Flare's, a strong heat radiating from her body. The balls of energy released themselves from the rose, and Flare took the attack head on, not fazed by the attack. The glow surrounding the blaziken died down, and she merely smiled confidently, her arms crossed much like her trainer behind her.

"Concentrate, Flare," ordered May quite calmly. "And listen. Tune out the crowd. Can you hear that roselia rustling around in the long grass?"

Flare closed her eyes, relaxing, her arms dropping to her sides and swinging back and forth slightly. The wind ruffled her bright feathers, the flames around her claws flickering brightly. She the nodded, hearing slight rustling along the grassy border to her right.

"When you think the time is right," May muttered quietly, hoping her opponent wouldn't hear, "slash that thing down."

Flare nodded again, standing still, causing the crowds around her to murmur in confusion. Seconds ticked by, though it felt like minutes, until the blaziken snapped her eyes open, fire burning in them. In a blur of red and orange, she ran toward the border and slashed at the grass, revealing the smirking form of roselia, both her red and blue flowers poised in front of her. Bewilderment darted across the blaziken's face, and before she could slash the roselia down, the plant released a sparkling, yet deadly, gold dust that clouded around Flare's air space. Flare coughed and staggered backward toward the open field, swiping in front of her to clear the air in front of her.

May's left eye twitched, a trait that Brendan knew May did when she was extremely annoyed. "Burn this entire field down, Flare!" she shouted, her eyebrows furrowing. "Let's find that roselia once and for all!"

Flare rubbed at her burning eyes. Her muscles seemed to be tensing up; it was hard to even bend her claws. Obeying her trainer's orders and fighting back her creaky joints, the blaziken fired up her legs and claws in flames in an even intenser heat, running toward the border and jumping into it, running about and setting the long grass on fire. She quickly ran around the border, the flames licking and burning the grass into cinders, nothing remaining on the field except scorched earth and flickering flames, biting and snapping at whatever leafy surface was left.

Wally attempted to shield his eyes from the dancing ashes and hot flames by holding an arm a few inches away from his face, his eyes squinting from the heat. "Roselia, hurry and get out of there!"

"Perfect!" shouted May, overhearing him. "Jump out of the border and wait for 'em, Flare!"

Smirking, the blaziken jumped back into the middle of the field and watched ... and waited. She then suddenly twitched and ran toward her left, her right claw up in flames, sweeping downward into the burnt grass and sending a green ball of pokémon upward. Flare jumped after it, her claw outstretched, swiping downward, sending the ball downward and making it land with a loud, and painful, thump. The ball uncurled, revealing the smoldering form of Wally's roselia as Flare landed next to her, her arms crossed.

"Roselia!" Wally cried out in anguish.

"Wally's roselia is unable to battle! May's blaziken wins!" declared the judge as he raised Wally's green flags.

"Looks like Wally's roselia couldn't take the heat!" chuckled the announcer over the speaker over the sound of the cheering crowds.

Wally merely rolled his eyes at the statement but nevertheless returned his pokémon to her pokéball with a smile on his face. Contemplating for a bit, he plucked a pokéball from his belt and thrust it toward the burnt field. "Come on out again, Delcatty!"

Again, the ball burst open revealing the sleek form of Wally's feline. She immediately scrunched up her nose as the foul stench of burning grass, looking at the flickering flames surrounding her in disdain.

Meanwhile, May stared at the back of her unmoving blaziken. While she was sure she didn't take much damage at all, her tense back muscles and awkward standing position told her something was wrong.

"That gold dust that roselia sent out earlier," thought May out loud, rubbing her chin. "That must have been a Stun Spore. Darn, no wonder it looked like it pained Flare to move." Pulling out her faithful starter's pokéball, May returned Flare in a beam of red light, thanking her for a job well done. "Now let's see ... Plan ahead, May. You already weakened that delcatty a bit with T.B.'s Quick Attacks and that one Spark he managed to land, so she's paralyzed even if Wally did let her rest for a bit. However, you still got another fully healed pokémon to worry about ... Think, May, think!"

"Anytime now, May!" cried the announcer over the speaker in a strained voice.

May ignored him, looking at the jumbo screen. Her manectric's and Wally's roselia's pictures were faded out while Flare's and Delcatty's were still lit up. Two blank boxes were underneath the other two boxes. "If I send out a flying type, like Tai or Cherry, Wally will probably send out that magneton of his to zap then down." She smirked, ideas formulating in her head. "And with Flare's fire type moves, that magneton is as good as dead. Perfect." Unclipping a ball from her belt, May threw her next pokéball toward the field. "Let's go, Cherry!"

Once the white light from the ball died down, a beautifly emerged, her colorful wings beating back flying ashes and smoke, her bright, blue eyes reflecting the flames that licked the foliage surrounding her. She fluttered her wings to gain stability in the ashy air, her antennas blowing back a bit, looking down and observing her opponent below her, a snarling kitty. She merely huffed, turning her head to the side to look at the crowd.

"Well, there goes the infatuation plan. At least she caught onto that," Wally sighed, shifting his weight to his left foot. He looked around, noticing the flames. "Though that beautifly is a bug after all, and bugs do hate fire –" He stopped murmuring to himself, noticing that his delcatty mewed in pain, her muscles tightening up. "Crap. Forgot delcatty was paralyzed. Better think of something fast. But what?"

"Cherry, Silver Wind!" commanded May, interrupting Wally's thoughts.

Cherry fluttered her wings slowly a few times before slowly gaining speed, her flapping becoming swifter and powerful. The delcatty on the ground gritted her teeth and held her ground, her fur blowing backward as the air current became much colder and harsher. Silver dust, glinting in the light of the fire, blew out of the beautifly's outstretched wings, biting and tearing at the delcatty until her clawed paws released the dirt ground, sending her skidding backward on her stomach. She howled in agony, slowly getting back on all four, ash and pebbles embedded in her fur.

"Are you okay, Delcatty?" Wally asked worriedly.

Delcatty twitched a bit but nodded, one eye closed as she looked up at her taunting foe.

Wally nodded back, looking up at the fluttering beautifly himself and then the battlefield. While the flames were dying down a bit when May returned Flare into her pokéball, the flames seemed to kick up with each flap of the wing the beautifly did. "Wind ..." he muttered. "Wind fans flames, doesn't it? Maybe I can do something about that ... Delcatty, Toxic!"

Delcatty arched her back a bit and pointed her head up, revealing teeth dripping with a black toxin. She spat the liquid at the beautifly who quickly dodged it, fluttering to her right. She spat again, and Cherry repeated the process, flying to her left.

"Perfect, Cherry! Silver Wind again!"

"Run around the border, Delcatty! Near the fires!"

Cherry beat her wings rapidly again while Delcatty started to run along the border, inches away from the flickering flames. The beautifly turned around slowly, the silver dust grazing the back of her opponent's leg but still not powerful enough to knock her down. As the delcatty gained speed, the beautifly followed faster, her wings flapping harder, turning slowly. The silver dust swirled around the flames, making them grow brighter and larger.

"Jump up and use Return!" shouted Wally once he watched his pokémon run a lap around the field.

Delcatty stopped running by skidding to a stop, taking the gusts of Silver Wind head on. Gritting her teeth and throwing her head to the side, she ran against the wind, keeping her eyes closed and then jumped up, tacking the beautifly off course and stopping her attack. The pokémon landed on the ground with a thud, the delcatty on top. She quickly pinned the butterfly's wings down with a smirk.

"That beautifly can't really move when she's attacking," noted Wally quietly to himself. "All she can do is turn ..." He shook his head, focusing on the battle. "Charm 'em while they're pinned down!"

"Hurry and use Flash to get out of there!" May quickly retaliated.

Delcatty mewed cutely, blinking her big, brown eyes, but Cherry acted fast and bent her antennas a bit, a dazzling light spilling out of them and dazing the feline. Delcatty stepped back, releasing the butterfly from her gasp, shaking her head, trying to get rid of the stars that danced in front of her eyes. Cherry managed to flap her wings and get back in the air, but a few dancing cinders met her, landing on her wings. She let out a squeal and blew her wings rapidly, trying to soothe the burn to her wing.

"Those cinders are going to be helluva annoying for that beautifly now," remarked Wally thoughtfully.

May didn't seem to notice the change in field. "Now use Giga Drain!"

Cherry, her eyes narrowed in determination, opened her mouth a bit, revealing a needle-thin dart. She blew it out, and the dart beelined for the delcatty, hitting her right in the neck. Delcatty cried in pain as both her body and Cherry's glowed an eerie green. Balls of green light zoomed from delcatty's body toward Cherry's wide wings. She absorbed the light in a happy hum as the delcatty collapsed into a pile of fur.

"Delcatty is unable to battle! May's beautifly wins!" announced the judge as delcatty's picture faded from the screen.

"Return, Delcatty!" A red beam of light engulfed the feline's limp form, returning her into her ball. "Well, that was a bust, though it did kick the flames up a bit," he muttered, looking down at delcatty's pokéball. "Thanks for trying, Delcatty. I really appreciate it." Smiling, Wally ran his fingers across each of his pokéballs, pondering what to do next. He was in a tight spot. Not only did he have to deal with a decently healed beautifly capable of re-healing herself if she had to, but he also had to deal with May's blaziken, one of her team's powerhouses.

The crowd also seemed to be well aware of Wally's situation, muttering about the more-than-likely results.

"He's done for," said Chris with a nod, crossing his arms. "He has one pokémon left against two decently healed ones. Even if that beautifly of May's isn't too strong, that blaziken sure is."

"Don't know," replied Brendan unsurely. "He'll think of something."

"Okay, fan boy." Chris rolled his eyes. "Staying true to your battler."

"I'm not his fan boy!" argued Brendan, glaring at his chuckling friend besides him. "I ... I know May's battle style. It's a lot like mine. Blunt and powerful. Wally tries to use the field and the opponent's own moves to his advantage."

Chris merely scoffed. "Okay, whatever ... Fan boy."

Wally finally picked a pokéball from his belt and held it up to his lips, whispering words into it. Shifting his weight again, the boy thrust the pokéball toward the field, the ball spiraling and colliding with the ashy earth. White light from the ball exploded, revealing the slender, elegant form of Wally's gardevoir, her red eyes sweeping the battlefield in a cool manner. The breeze made her thin, wavy arms move slightly behind her.

"Wasn't expecting him to send out his gardevoir," muttered May, blowing up her bangs frustratingly. "We better take him out now before I have to use Flare then." She pointed at the field. "Cherry, Giga Drain! Let's go!"

Cherry nodded and opened her mouth, revealing another sharp dart.

"Dodge, Gardevoir, and use Thunder Wave!" countered Wally.

The beautifly released the dart from her mouth, and the dart beelined for the psychic, but she simply moved to dodge it, thrusting her thin, green arm toward the beautifly, her eyes fixed on her. A jolt of electric power built up in the palm of her hand, crackling around her arm before she released it, the electric energy taking form into a narrow bolt of lightning that struck Cherry. Cherry cried out in pain and sunk down a bit, flapping her wings to regain stability, her entire body quivering and sparking with electricity.

"I'm so tired of getting paralyzed!" whined May, stamping her foot. "Cherry, Silver Wind!"

Cherry, her head bent down and her antennas drooping in front of her face, didn't respond. She then closed her eyes and fell toward the ground, twitching, her wings locked.

"Future Sight," said Wally coolly, taking advantage of the situation.

Gardevoir clasped her hands together and closed her eyes as well, humming softly to herself. Her body shimmered with an intense white before the light died down. She then opened her eyes and unlaced her fingers as the beautifly groggily got back up, her head still bent down in fatigue.

"Come on, Cherry!" pleaded May. "We can do this! Try Secret Power this time!"

Cherry gasped for breath, flapping her wings to hover higher in the air. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes glowing an eerie yellow as she thrust her head backward, her antennas going back with it. From behind her, the dying flames that desperately tried to live grew into a lively wall of fire.

Wally knew a bit about Secret Power and how its attack reflected the environment around it. He knew rocky environments caused the move to make rocky walls which trainers often used as makeshift tents while traveling. He knew grassy environments, such as the one they used to be on before Flare burnt it down to the ground, caused the attacker to throw sharp leaves around so the pokémon could make a suitable clearing for its trainer to rest in. Yet he never experienced the attack in a fire-based location which seemed to make the fire _grow._

Maybe ...

"Go for it, Cherry! Secret Power now!" cheered May, pumping a fist in the air, excited about the massive wall of fire that built up.

Cherry, a small smirk dancing across her face, thrust her head forward, her antennas going with it, causing the wall of fire to move forward, swallowing whatever remaining living grass still loitered on the field. The fire closed itself on the gardevoir, yet she didn't seemed alarmed. In fact, from the looks of her close up on the jumbo screen, she seemed to be smiling instead.

Wally's eyes widened, and he smiled as well, knowing exactly what was on his pokémon's mind. This was the opportunity he was waiting for. "Gardevoir, use Psychic to aim that fire back at 'em!"

Gardevoir immediately jumped into action, raising her arms as the glowed in a brilliant purple energy. She shifted her weight, leaning forward, her eyes narrowing in concentration as the purple energy engulfed the fire, stopping it in its tracks. The power of the fire pushed the gardevoir back a bit, pebbles rolling underneath her feet, but she held her ground. With a small snarl, she pushed her arms forward, sending the wave of fire back toward its owner. Cherry's eyes widened as the flames swallowed her whole, knocking her down onto the ground in its wake. The flames eventually subsided, leaving behind a sizzling beautifly, the tips of her antennas a charcoal black, gray smoke hazily spiraling from her body. Her eyes were clenched shut as she jerked around a bit in complete agony.

"May's beautifly is unable to battle! Wally's gardevoir wins!" stated the judge as Cherry's picture faded from the screen.

"Cherry, return!" May recalled her pokémon and thanked it for a job well done. She then picked up Flare's pokéball, looking at it with worry. "You're my last hope, Flare," she whispered. "We can do this ..." Taking a deep breath and licking her lips, she threw her last chance onto the field. "Go, Flare!"

Once again, the tall, lean frame of May's blaziken emerged, her claws clenched into fists as she looked at her opponent. There was something that irritated Flare about the calm, cool demeanor that gardevoir had. She was ready to wipe that smug look off her opponent's face.

May was more than happy to oblige. "Blaze Kick 'em, Flare!"

Flare kicked up the flames in her legs before darting over toward her opponent. She then jumped into the air, ready to make a nasty blow to the gardevoir's head.

"Calm Mind, Gardevoir!" countered Wally.

Gardevoir quickly clasped her hands together again, this time immersing herself in a golden light. She took the attack, literally, head on, but she was still standing upright unexpectedly. Flare, confused yet still determined, landed on the ground and spun around a bit, lifting her leg and swinging it around, kicking the gardevoir in the side. Again, the gardevoir took the hit, and while her face cringed, she still stood like a totem pole, undefeated.

"Send them flying back with Psychic!"

Gardevoir's golden light was replaced with an eerie purple like before as she pointed at the blaziken, the purple light flying from her body and enclosing itself around the bewildered frame of Flare. She lifted her arm a bit, causing Flare to lift up unwillingly, before forcing her arm forward, sending her backward. Flare flew across the battlefield before skidding hard on her back against the ashy ground. She slowly got back up, panting, her head throbbing.

"Try Bulk Up and then Slash!" commanded May worriedly, biting at her fingernails.

Flare straightened herself up from her doubled over position, cracking her back before clenching her claws into fists again and closing her eyes, a red energy building up around her. She took in a deep breath, absorbing the light, before reopening her eyes. Lifting her claw, the blaziken began to dash toward her awaiting foe but stopped, her joints locking up and her eyes going wide.

"Darn, the paralysis is kicking in again –" May's muttering was cut off when a high pitched whistling sounded through the stadium, echoing off the walls. "What is that ...?" A beam of light zoomed past her head, then another, then another. "Crap! The Future Sight! Try and dodge, Flare!"

Flare was way ahead of her trainer, gracefully dodging left and right to avoid the beams of light. Left, right, left, left; there was a pattern to it, and as long as she followed it she would remain – her joints locked up again and she unwillingly froze in place, taking a beam of light right to the chest. She flew backward again, landing hard on her back as more beams of light targeted her, beating her all over. Instinctively, she threw her claws over her head to protect herself, the beams of light bruising her body.

"Flare, please ..." May begged, lacing her fingers together and raising her entwined hands to her lips. Tears started to form her eyes; winning seem inevitable now. "Please get up ... Please."

Flare shakily pushed herself up, but a familiar purple energy took over her, pinning her down. She managed to lift her head up, shock and anger written all over her face, noticing that the gardevoir was a few feet away, her left arm glowing in purple energy. Hovering in her right hand was a ball of white energy, an escaped Future Sight beam that Flare herself dodged. Wally must have ordered his pokémon to capture one without May's knowledge.

Wally hadn't felt this nervous, even before his battle, until now, a mere attack away from victory. Yet the tears of frustration and anger swimming in May's eyes made him have to gulp down his nerves. He had to do it though. He came too far – he gave up so much – to quit now. Why was he fighting back tears back himself though? Why the hell was he sad?

Clenching his eyes shut and turning his head to the side, Wally murmured, "You know what to do, Gardevoir."

Gardevoir sensed the mixed emotions building up in her trainer's stomach and nodded, lifting the blaziken up and making her hover midair. Avoiding the pain in her opponent's eyes by turning her head to the side as well, the gardevoir thrust the ball of white energy into the blaziken's stomach. Flare let out a loud cry of anguish as the ball of light buried itself into her. Gardevoir released her psychic hold on Flare, sending her flying skyward and making her land with a loud thump a few moments later. Nothing was left but a pile of twitching limbs and dirty feathers.

The judge raised May's flag and declared, "May's Blaziken is unable to battle. Wally Wood of Petalburg is the winner!"

"What an amazing battle! What a way to end today!" remarked the announcer over the loud roar of the audience.

The crowds went into a frenzy as Wally's picture and his used pokémon took over the screen. The green-haired trainer unsurely turned to the audience and waved slightly to them. While he was happy he won, he couldn't help but feel like he was the one beaten. Gulping down his nerves again, Wally began the long trek toward May's side of the field, careful to avoid the dying flames that crackled along the dead grass.

"Flare, return," whispered May sadly, returning her defeated pokémon. She looked down at Flare's pokéball, tears blurring her vision. A tear escaped and landed on the ball. "I'm sorry I failed you, Flare." She clenched the ball tighter in her hand, sniffling, more tears rolling down her face. "Maybe if I trained more ... Maybe if I researched better ... Maybe if I was a better trainer ... Maybe we wouldn't be in this position ..."

"Holy ... Crap," was all Chris manage to mutter, his eyes wide. "You weren't kidding, Brendan. Wally knows exactly what he's doing. I don't think I've ever seen a trainer use Future Sight like that ... Or manipulate an opponent's attack like that Secret Power maneuver ... Hell, his tactic with his delcatty was unusual too. He's ... holy crap!"

Brendan said nothing, watching the scene in front of him with observant eyes. Wally stopped next to his gardevoir and gave her a tight hug, thanking her before returning her to her pokéball. He then watched as the green-haired boy took a deep breath and crossed the threshold from his side of the field to May's, making his way closer and closer to the crying girl. Turning his head a bit, he looked at May, a mess of wild hair and salty tears. The sadness that enveloped around the girl tugged at his heart strings, and he immediately got up to soothe her, but a tug at his shirt caught his attention.

"Calm down there, knight-in-shining-armor." Chris pulled Brendan by his shirt again, making him plunk in his seat. "This isn't your fight after all."

"She looks so ... hurt though," Brendan murmured, his eyes filled with concern.

"She'll be okay. She has a friend down there."

Wally sheepishly stepped inside May's trainer box and stood in front of her. May still had her head bent down as she placed Flare's pokéball with her others, her fists shaking and the tears flowing down her cheeks becoming more steady.

"May ..." he whispered.

May quickly turned her back on Wally, lifting her head up and wiping at her face so he wouldn't see her tears. "Congrats," she managed to get out between her sniffles, still wiping at her cheeks with her gloved hands. "You ... you're an amazing battler, Wally."

"As are you," Wally remarked quietly.

Wally heard her snort. "Ha. If I was, I wouldn't have lost would I?" She paused as if waiting for an answer, and she slowly turned around, noticing Wally biting his lip. "That's what I thought," she said a bit angrily, her eyes puffy and red. "No, I'm sorry. You ... you don't deserve that. You won fair and square, and that's that."

Wally only nodded and remained quiet, shifting his head so his bangs no longer blocked his vision.

"It's just ..." More tears built up in May's blue eyes, and she wiped at them in anger, her nose wrinkling up. "I didn't want to lose ... Not to you ... I wanted to win because ..."

"I know," Wally murmured when May trailed off. "I am stupid, May, and you do have every right to be mad at me. You don't have to forgive me. I really, really am stupid."

May let out a loud sniff, a small smile forming on her face. "You got that right," she said through a cracked voice, letting out a quiet laugh all the same. Bowing her head again, the girl trembled, her lips open partially to let out her shuddered breath. She then flung herself at Wally, wrapping her arms around him to hug him, pressing her head against his chest while sobbing hysterically.

Awkwardly, Wally patted May on the back, looking around the crowds and wondering what to do. He then let out a sigh, giving in, his tense shoulders relaxing as he wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and pulled her in closer, comforting her. "I'm sorry, May ..." he whispered, a weird lump of emotion building up in his throat.

May felt Wally's hot breath against the nape of her breath, but it was comforting to her. "It's okay, Wally ... I-I'd like to move on, if that's okay ..." Her grip around him got tighter at these words, her eyes brimming with tears, creating wet spots on Wally's white button up shirt.

Wally ran his free hand through May's hair, smiling and closing his eyes. "I'd like that more than anything, May."

Meanwhile up in the audience, people were beginning to file out of the stadium, leaving behind two boys, one watching the scene on the field intently and the other frowning frustratingly. "Latios, this is corny," muttered Chris tearing his eyes away from the scene by rolling his eyes, crossing his arms. "Make it stop."

"I think it's kind of sweet," remarked Brendan with a smile. "They've been fighting for weeks now, and it's good to see they finally made up."

"God, you're such a girl sometimes."

"Eff you." Brendan scowled and turned his attention toward his smirking friend, his nose scrunching up. He then looked at Wally and May who were still entwined in a hug. "Okay, they've been hugging for awhile now. Anytime now, Wally ... Let go of her, Wally. Release her from your grip, you prat." His eye began to twitch, his words going unheard as Wally and May continued to hug. "Really, that's enough!" He stood up, stamping his foot on the hard metal flooring. "Wally – WALLY! YOU LET GO OF MY GIRL RIGHT NOW!" he shouted, stomping toward the aisle that lead to the burnt field.

Chris sat still, watching his friend stomp down the stairs. He shook his head, though a small smile graced his face. "Sometimes, Brendan, I wonder ..." He then leaned back and looked up toward the night sky, an endless black scattered with winking stars.

A loud snap and stamp caught his attention, and Chris quickly turned his head back toward the ashy battlefield, noticing a fuming May, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed at the groaning Brendan who was rubbing his cheek, slightly slouched over. Wally stood next to them, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"AND DON'T YOU DARE INTERRUPT A TOUCHING MOMENT LIKE THAT AGAIN, JERK!" he heard May scream, causing both boys on the field to flinch at her tone.

"Love is such a funny thing," Chris remarked, laughing. "Funny ... yet kind of sad."

* * *

K, can I die now? x.X

Muddy: REALLY! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, BREEZY?

Tra-la-la, can't hear anything! (plugs fingers in ears) Okay. Well, you _might_ be a little disappointed, but the next chapter isn't going to be a battle chapter. I don't think me, or you readers for that matter, can handle so many battles. Hell, 3v3 wears me out. x.X Anyway, next chapter is a tad sidetrackish and humorish. Yeah, I know those aren't words.

Muddy: YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE ISN'T A WORD? !

... Just a tad sidetrackish though. Actually, lol, I haven't planned on what the hell I'm going to do for whatever the next chapter is; I just knew I wanted something that wasn't a battle.

Muddy: I AM TALKING HERE! SOMEONE RESPOND!

Don't worry though. The next battle chapter will be huge and massive that'll it make up for the lost battle chapter.

MUDDY: SEE? SEE HOW DESPARATE I AM? EVEN MY NAME IS IN CAPS! NOW TALK!

Sirius: Ooh! I like caps.

Muddy: (glares) Shouldn't you be spooning or whatever couples do?

Sirius: (grumbles)

No spoiler today. Wahaha.

LaTeR dAyZ!


	62. Snap to It!

Before we even start, nothing happens in this chapter. I'm serious, lol. Yet again, it's another "point B" chapter that I just have to write in order to get to the more interesting point C. My brain is too tired for me to write another battle chapter, and the next battle chapter should make up for it anyway. It is a bit of an odd chapter, though. I somewhat delved into the Sirius x Skittles relationship (and the weirdness of it all), and it gave me a nice idea for the sequel. If I decide to write it. :3

That being said, I did make up for it with a Battle Frontier spoiler at the end. The end of this chapter also is a tad important. So enjoy that. I also apologize for the two month hiatus. Don't ask why it took me so long to update. Anyway, hit it.

**Disclaimer**: The author–

Muddy: IT'S A POKEMON BASED CHAPTER FOR ONCE OMGGGGG.

... Yeah, this isn't the–

Muddy: I'M SO EXCITED AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT! (does a dance)

Ahem. As I was–

Muddy: I'M ABOUT TO LOSE CONTROL AND I THINK I LIKE IT!

This is a–

Muddy: AND I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW–

Flare: (smacks Muddy in the head) Shut up, moron.

Muddy: (goes teary-eyed) I want you ...

As I was saying – rather, as Muddy said, this is a pokémon-based chapter. The final one for HLBMA, fwee. It follows the same format as "The Day Off" chapter with switching between the humans and the pokémon. Ya. So if you absolutely detest these chapters–

Muddy: And who does?

I suggest skipping to the bottom. But not too far if you don't want to read the spoiler for the MAYBE sequel. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Snap To It!**

**

* * *

**

"I'm _sooo_ bored!"

His response: Grumbles. Annoyed ones.

"Someone do something interesting. Like juggle. Juggling is always interesting. To this day I have yet to see a juggler that has not had a crowd surround him on the streets."

More grumbles.

"Oh, you know what else is interesting?" said Brendan in a matter-of-fact tone, rubbing his chin. He paced the floor in between the two bunk beds much to his companions' annoyance. "Tap dancing. I can't get over that one street performer that tap danced. He was cool. Speaking of which, I saw that one tap dancer the other day, and we had a conversation about–"

"LOOK!" shouted May, lifting her weary, achy body from her bed and glaring daggers at the bewildered white-haired trainer. "Congrats on making it to the top twelve and all, but for latias' sake it is EIGHT IN THE MORNING! SO SHUT UP!"

"Ugh ... what she said. Some of us still have to rest for their own battles later," muttered Chris from the top bunk above May's bed, lifting his pillow and turning to lay flat on his belly, placing his pillow over his head. "And close the blinds while you're at it," he added, his voice muffled by the sheets.

Waken by the shrill cry of May, Wally sat up in his bed, his green hair messy. He yawned and stretched, cracking his back when he lifted his arms above his head. "How did your battle go, Brendan?" he asked, rubbing one of his eyes while simultaneously looking down at Brendan.

"Great," replied Brendan with a smile, glancing up at Wally. "I got the water field this time, which was cake for Sapphire and Muddy. I thought it would be hell having my battle at seven in the morning, but it was actually pretty nice. There weren't that many people watching, so there wasn't as much pressure. What time is your battle?"

Wally turned his head a bit to observe the clock on the wall next to the window. He squinted a bit, the sunlight blinding him. "Um, in three hours. Are you going to watch?"

"I suppose. I got nothing else to do," Brendan muttered, kicking his shoes off. He flopped onto his already made bed, his legs dangling over the side. "Nothing, nothing, absolutely noth–"

May, annoyed, sat up in bed again, glowering at Brendan's body, her hair wild and untamed and her pajamas wrinkled. For a few seconds she sat there, breathing heavily, until she bellowed, "GO BACK TO BED!" with flaring nostrils. Giving another disgruntled look at the poor white-haired boy who stared back with wide eyes, May fell backward, pulling the clean cotton covers over her eyes. "And be quiet!"

Brendan pushed himself up and glanced at Wally who shrugged in reply. "Do you want me to get you chocolate, May?" he asked politely, a grin on his face. He then muttered to Wally, "Girls on their period like chocolate, right?"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"And for latios' sake, get the hell out of here!" shouted Chris as well, throwing his pillow at Brendan. He turned on his side, his red eyes glaring through half open eyelids. "Sheesh."

Wally hopped out of bed, landing gracefully on the floor. "Come on, Brendan," he said, motioning toward the door. He adjusted his dark green slacks and did his best to straighten out his white t-shirt before running a hair through his messy hair. "I think pissy May syndrome is contagious. Let's go get breakfast or something."

"And close the blinds," Chris repeated, his closed eyes wrinkling a bit from the sunlight that tried to prod its way though his eyelids.

With a slight stomp in his step, Brendan threw his shoes back on and went to the window, putting his hand against the top of the cold glass and leaning against it, examining the outside world in front of him. A grassy landscape was before him, dandelions waving in the window. A lake, clear and cool, was further up ahead and already had pokémon lounging comfortably in it, some of them groggily waking up.

"I wonder what Muddy and everyone else is going to do now that they're done battling today," Brendan asked himself under his breath, pushing himself up, his finger wrapping around the cord of the blinds. With a final sweep of the field, Brendan pulled on the cord, pulling the blinds down and casting the room in darkness before joining Wally outside in the hallway, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Do something interesting. Juggle."

"Wha – no!"

"Why not, Cinnamon Buns?" Muddy whined to the mightyena sitting next to him, flopping onto his bottom, careful not to sit on his tail. He grimaced a bit as his tail hit the grassy ground anyway, rubbing through Brendan's old bandanna to where his scar was.

"For the last time, stop calling me that."

"Is something wrong with your scar, Muddy?" asked Skittles worriedly, standing up and walking closer to Muddy, peering at the old black and red cloth. She poked at it lightly with a paw, making the swampert's tail muscles tense up.

Muddy pulled his tail away from the delcatty, still rubbing it. "I don't know," he admitted, staring at it as well. "It's been ... burning lately. I'm not sure why. Ever since we got here, really."

"Maybe you should tell Brendan or something," suggested Skittles, poking at the cloth again.

The swampert gasped sharply from Skittles' dainty but sharp claw. "Eh, I'm sure it's nothing. Scars are suppose to hurt, right?"

"Um, no."

"Oh. Are you sure?"

"Not unless you're Harry Potter," sarcastically replied Sirius. His eyes trailed toward the lake where he noticed baby Cinders dabbing a paw into the lake, letting out a cute purr as the head of a luvdisc popped out. She then gasped as the luvdisc dove back into the water. Arching her back and growling, she jumped into the water. Seconds later, she began to flail about, whining loudly, her splashes frustrating the water pokémon that rested in the lake. The mightyena sighed. "I'll go get her," he muttered, getting onto all fours and running over to the lake.

"Harry Potter, huh?" Muddy stood on two feet and rubbed his chin, looking at the bandanna on his tail. "Is it ... is it possible? Could I be Harry Potter ... in pokémon form?"

"I'm pretty sure he was just kidding, Muddy," murmured Skittles, rolling her eyes.

The swampert shook his head, looking up into the morning sky. The sun made his already bright eyes glow a brilliant, sharper orange. "No, no. It makes sense. And besides; his name is Sirius, so he has to be serious! Hmm ..." Dazed, Muddy slowly began to walk away, his eyes still cast up toward the sky, leaving behind a bewildered delcatty.

Sirius came trotting back, a wet but giggling Cinders carried by the nape of her neck in between his teeth. He dropped the vulpix, and she immediately shook, sending drops of water from her fur everywhere, the pokémon couple wincing as the water hit them. Sighing again, Sirius looked at Skittles and asked, "So what do you want to do today? We're both pretty much free for the entire day, right?"

"Unfortunately." Skittles frowned a bit. "It still sucks that May lost."

"Yeah, well ..." Sirius trailed off, sitting on his hind legs and looking up toward the cloudless skies. The pretty pink of the morning was slowly fading away into the deep blue of the day. He breathed in the soft wind, fresh with the scent of trimmed grass. "Anyway," he muttered awkwardly, "want to just ... sit here?"

Skittles blinked as Sirius scratched at the back of his head with a hind leg out of nervousness. Truth be told, even though the two were ... what did those humans call it? Together? Anyway, even though the two were together, Sirius still had no idea how to be a proper ... mate for Skittles. He wasn't even sure if the two could be proper mates, and even if they could, they'd either wind up with cuddly poochyenas that wouldn't be intimidating at all when they evolved or evil-looking skittys. What was the point of being with her if they would wind up with freaks for offspring? Was he defying the laws of pokémon? The laws of mating? The laws of the mightyena? The laws of ...

Cookies sound good now. He liked cookies.

Where did Muddy go?

What was he thinking about again?

Skittles always enjoyed the mystified look on Sirius' face whenever he got lost in thoughts. It was one of those traits that he picked up from Brendan (thanks latias he didn't adapt Brendan's denseness like Muddy did). "No, silly! Let's play a game!" she remarked cheerfully, snapping the mightyena out of his thoughts. She nudged him in the side before nuzzling her head against the bottom of his.

Sirius couldn't help let out a small rumble from the back of his throat at the affection, his eyes slowly closing as he rested his head on the top of the delcatty's. That's right. He was thinking about mating. Oh, crap. Mating. Surely Skittles wasn't thinking the same things that he was ... right? Not innocent, sweet Skittles. Hell, was he even ready for ... that next step? They were only ... dammit what did those humans call it? Dating? Stupid humans.

_Stop thinking about it, _he thought, his eyes still closed even though he was flustered. _Just go with whatever Skittles says._

"Ooh!" His eyes snapped open. "Can we play let's hide the cookies again? I'm good at that game!"

Skittles smiled, gave Sirius a finally nudge with her head before stepping back a bit to sit in front of him. "Nah. Let's give that game a break for now. I was thinking about trying that game the humans call 'house.'"

Sirius cocked his head to the side, confused. "House?" he repeated. "What is that?"

"It's easy, I think! We pretend that we're living in a house, and we play the roles of whoever lives in the house!"

"Like ... the television set?"

"Not exactly. The living things."

"Oh, like the plants."

Skittles sighed. Okay, so maybe Sirius adopted some of Brendan's denseness. "No, like the human roles, Sirius. Like I can pretend to be the mom of the house." She then bent down a bit to nudge the vulpix who was pouncing around a dandelion. "Cinders, since she's so young, can play the baby."

"Yay, baby! I'm a baby!" Cinders cheered with a smile. She then continued to growl adorably at the vicious flower in front of her, sneezing as she whiffed in the fluffy, white seeds.

"You can be the dad."

Sirius looked at her, bewildered, his thoughts about mating running through his mind again. "If you're the mom and I'm the dad, then how did we have a vulpix for a baby?"

"It's pretend!" she snapped back, making the mightyena jump back a bit. She then smiled, regaining her cheery composure, bewildering the mightyena even further. "Come on! Let's go find the rest of the pokémon so we can give them roles too!" She jumped onto her feet, nudged Cinders with her nose to follow her and began to trod toward the lake, flattening the grass underneath her paws.

Sirius sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Brendan slouched further down the leather couch, watching the television in front of him with dull, red eyes. Wally, who sat next to him, sat up straight, watching the screen intently, a bowl of cereal clutched tightly in his hands. He shoveled a spoonful of cereal past his lips, the cereal crunching loudly in his mouth. He then lifted the bowl, finished off the milk, and let out a loud, relieved gasp.

"And in national news," remarked the articulate voice of the anchorwoman on the television, "the Hoenn League is in its third round of battles today. Once this round of battles is over, the league will finally enter its preliminary rounds. Only twelve skilled – or even lucky – trainers make it to ..."

Brendan, bored, tuned out the voice of the anchorwomen and looked at Wally, annoyed. "Can't we watch something else? The news is so boring," he whined, slouching further, accidentally knocking his empty bowl and spoon toward the floor with a clatter. He kicked it closer toward the couch so no one would step on it.

Wally rolled his eyes. "It's eight in the morning and a weekday. There's never anything on, besides the news, when it's this early."

"But the news is soooo boringgggg ..." he repeated in a drawn out tone.

Wally stood up, empty bowl in hand. He noticed the cabinet the television was sitting upon, its chestnut doors closed. "Why don't you see if there's a game console or a DVD player in there or something. Maybe you can play a game if learning about the world is so boring to you." He bent down and put Brendan's spoon back in the bowl before picking it up. "I'll put these back in the kitchen."

"Thanks," muttered Brendan, standing up as soon as Wally walked down the hallway. He walked the few feet to the television, getting onto his knees and running his fingers down the cabinet doors, picking up dust. In disdain, Brendan pried open the doors, making them groan loudly, and peered inside, whiffing in the musky smell. Inside the cabinet on the top shelf was an old game system, black and blocky with four slots for controllers. Brendan recognized it as the Nintendo 64 game system, a system that he often played when he was little.

"Wow, I haven't seen one of these things in ages!" he proclaimed. He blew at it, lifting the dust from it, before reaching in and pulling out the game cartridge. He retreated back into the light to read it. "Hmm ... Pokémon Snap, huh? I guess this game was okay. I never really owned it, so I guess it's a good time as any to play it!" With a grin, Brendan blew inside the cartridge, a habit he remembered he used to do, before inserting it back inside the system. Pressing the buttons on the television so that it was on video mode, Brendan hoped for the best and turned the system on. The screen crackled as the picture changed, and sure enough, much to the boy's glee, the old system still worked, revealing the introduction of the old game.

"Aweeesomeee ..." Brendan quickly pulled out an old, gray controller and uncoiled the wire before connecting it to the Nintendo 64, scooting back a bit so he wasn't too close to the T.V. Crossing his legs as he sat on the floor, Brendan pointed his head up and eagerly hit the start button. "All right. New game ... My name is B ... R ... E ..." Thus began the long process of entering his name.

"It's nice to meet you, Brednan!" was what he read on the screen as the animated Professor Oak on the screen moved his mouth as if he were really talking.

"Dammit. Spelled my name wrong. Oh well," he murmured to himself as Wally strolled back in, wearing his daytime clothes.

"Oh, Pokémon Snap? That game was awesome," remarked Wally, sitting on the couch as he finished buttoning up his white cotton shirt. His eyes squinted as he looked at Brendan's name on the game. "Hey, uh, you know you typo-ed your name, right?"

"Shut up," grumbled Brendan as he continued to scroll through the mundane speech of Professor Oak. The screen finally shifted from the laboratory to the beach, the first level of the game. "Okay, so what do I do?"

"You take pictures," answered Wally as if it were obvious.

"That's it? What's so awesome about that?" asked Brendan as he snapped a picture of a pidgey.

Wally laughed to himself. "Oh, you'll see ..."

* * *

"... Okay, so I'm the mom, Sirius is the dad, Cinders is the baby, Hydro is our adopted ... son," Skittles looked up at the cheeky smiling gyarados that resided in the lake, "Thermo is your cousin, Tai is the mailman –"

"Why the hell am I the mailman?" Tai butted in, rolling his eyes while flapping his wings in frustration. A few blue feathers loosened themselves from his wide wingspan, dancing in the light breeze.

"Because you're a bird," simply replied Skittles, rolling her eyes as well.

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Sure it does." The delcatty let out a small cough to clear her throat. "Now where was I? Oh, right. Silver is the grandfather, and Cherry is the sassy aunt. Is that everyone?"

"Does that make T.B. the creepy neighbor?" Sirius nudged his head to the left, looking at the sheepish manectric peeping his head through a bush. Alarmed at the attention, Thunderbolt quickly retreated inside the shrubbery, though his eyes still could be seen between the gaps in the bushes.

Skittles sighed. "That manectric just doesn't know when to give up, does he?" She then looked up at Flare who was leaning against the base of a thick tree, her arms crossed and her eyes closed. "Are you sure you don't want to play with us, Flare? It'll be really fun! You can be the grandma!"

"Um, no thanks," muttered the blaziken, opening one of her fiery red eyes. "I'm not sure how you lot can relax with Brendan in the top twelve. You should be training."

"Pfft!" was the response from the rest of her teammates – and Brendan's.

"You'll be sorryyy ..." And with that, Flare pushed herself up from the base of the tree, used her powerful legs to jump onto the branch above her head, and then jumped back down on the other side.

"... What was the point in doing that?" muttered Tai, his claws digging into the long grass. "And, again, why the hell am I the mailman? Why am I not special enough to be part of the family?"

"Do I really have to play? You see, me and Silver were suppose to go to the flowers with a bunch of other bug types, and Silver was going to show off and ... everything," murmured Cherry, flying above the head of Hydro, her brightly colored wings dazzling in the morning light.

"For the last time, Cherry, just because I'm a shedinja doesn't mean that we're going to get free stuff for it. They're not that rare." Silver hovered next to Cherry, not fazed by the morning wind unlike the fluttering beautifly next to him.

"Dammit, we're going to try–"

"Can't we all just play my game for once without any complaints?" huffed Skittles, letting out a sigh. "Why can't you all be quiet like Sirius?"

Everyone turned their attention toward the mightyena that was lying down next to Skittles, his head turned to avoid eye contact. The more this ... house game continued, the more nervous he got. If Skittles wanted to play a game that had a lot to do with fatherly and motherly roles, then wouldn't that mean she was ready for ... No, she couldn't be. Then again ... No. It just wasn't possible. It was too soon! Maybe? He wasn't ready for that. Skittles couldn't be either. Latios he hoped so ...

Sirius gulped loudly and shivered, his mouth too dry to respond.

Skittles ignored this. "I played Sirius' stupid cookie game, your game that involved seeing who could hold their breath underwater the longest, Hydro," she glared at the sheepishly smiling gyarados, "and that one game ... that I really can't remember. But I remember it was stupid. So please ... please just let me have this one ..." She trailed off as a tall shadow overwhelmed her small stature, causing the rest of the pokémon to look behind her. Slowly, licking her lips, she turned her head as well to stare at the creature.

He was chubby, blue ... quite stupid looking, really. Hastily drawn on his head with mud was something that resembled a lightning bolt ... or a backward letter Z. His left paw was clenched around a small stone that was oddly adorned with some sort of red material while his right paw held a stick, jagged with dead leaves still attached to it. Somehow, the weird being managed to steal a pair of eyeglasses from latias' knows where that protected his bright orange eyes, though the pair was a bit too small for his large head.

Amidst the blinks and gaping mouths, Tai was the first to speak. "Um, Muddy? What exactly are you doing?"

The creature merely let out a hearty laugh and put his paws on his hips, some of the red material on his rock falling off. "Why, I am every household's Harry Potter!" He then held up his rock, smiling widely. "And here's Ron! Say hello, Ron!"

Ron said nothing.

"He must be shy. He has a quidditch game soon, and you know how nervous he gets." Muddy poked at the rock with his stick.

"That's a rock, Muddy – and don't you two even _dare_ try to leave!" screeched Skittles, noticing from the corner of her eye that Cherry and Silver were slowly trying to fly away. The two stopped dead in their tracks and turned around, smiling innocently at the hissy cat on the ground. "We are playing house, dammit! Muddy, you can be ... the um–"

"The uncle that always gets drunks at holiday parties?" chimed in Silver.

"That works."

"I said I was Harry Potter," replied Muddy, turning around so his back faced his friends. "Now if you excuse me, I have wizardry business to do." He looked at Ron, holding him closer to his ear. "No, I won't get us into trouble, Ron ... That wasn't really my fault. The trouble came to me that time." He sighed, tapping his foot. "I'm not even sure if that counts. Technically I was trying to avoid it – no, I'm not trying to start a fight – that name calling isn't need, Ron!" He glared at the rock as he began walking. "Don't be so daft, Ron. You're silly. So silly."

Sirius blinked, watching the blue back of his best friend walk off, still chattering away to Ron. "Right," he murmured, getting up on all shaky fours. "Well ... I think I'm going to help Muddy with that wizardry business, so if you excuse me –"

"You move a paw, Sirius Orion Mightyena, and I'm _so_ leaving you!"

Sirius, wide eyed, immediately sat back down, quivering a bit, much to the amusement of his fellow teammates. Silver made a whipping noise, quickly followed by everyone else as Skittles let out a happy mew and nudged her head warmly below Sirius' chin.

Silver let out a heaving cough in between his chuckles. "Whippedcoughcoughwhipped."

"Shut up, Silver."

* * *

"So ... um ... how long has he been at this?"

"Three hours or so. That's what Wally said he was doing before he left for his battle." Chris stretched over and poked at the back of Brendan's head with his index finger, and the boy trainer merely hissed back in return like a riled up cat. He swiped at Chris, missing, before his hands gripped the gray controller, his thumb darting over the buttons.

"Heh heh, dance for me, charmander! DANCE I SAY!" he proclaimed, vigorously throwing virtual apples at a group of charmander. One of the apples bounced off the charmander's head, making the boy laugh insanely.

"Maybe we should turn it off. He's giving me the creeps." And with that, May strolled over toward the television and bent down in front of the cabinet.

"I SWEAR TO LATIOS, MAY, IF YOU TOUCH MY GAME, I WILL ..." Brendan's shouts ceased to exist as the girl trainer's head slowly turned around, her eyes in a cold glower. "I will ... uhhh ... Not be mean?" he finished weakly, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

May simply shook her head and stood back up, brushing her knees. "Whatever, B Boy. Play your stupid–"

"WHAT THE HELL, PROFESSOR OAK! THAT IS TOTALLY CENTERED!" Whatever fear Brendan had for May quickly seemed to vanish as his attention went back to his game. "Dammit! Can I not be artistic in this game? I like the side angle thing I have going on here! Seriously, what the ..." Brendan's screechy voice became more incoherent the more he rambled on.

May gave Brendan the side eye and strolled over to the couch, sitting next to Chris. She tapped her fingers on her thighs. "Anyway," she muttered, "maybe we can pull him away for your next battle, Chris. When is it?"

Chris pulled out his pokénav from underneath the thick book on his lap (May assumed it was the trainer book that made Chris go starry-eyed) and looked at the time. "In two hours, so that should be enough time for him to get the joy of that game out of his system. I mean, beating the actual game only takes a hour at most. Actually breaking records takes ... years." Shuddering, he put his pokénav next to his leg and stared at the television screen where Brendan was pelting squirtles with pester balls while, again, laughing insanely. Chris shook his head as he picked up the pencil he set down and began to scribble in the margins.

"You study too much, Chris," May muttered. She reached over and grabbed the thick book by the edge, her fingers sliding underneath the heavy pages. She fanned through them with her thumb, the breeze pleasant against her skin.

"If there's one thing I learned from the Silver Conference back in Johto was that my lack of knowledge on my opponent's battle style was my downfall. That and not having a definite battle style myself. I probably knew my own style less than my opponent's. I know that now, anyway. Back then, I thought my battling was so awesome that no one could stand in my way."

"I suppose that was my problem." The girl sighed, twirling a strand of brown hair around her gloved finger. She looked up wistfully. "I mean, I've known Wally so long ... I thought I knew exactly how he was going to battle, so I didn't bother looking up his previous battles or his style or anything."

Chris shrugged. "Live and learn. I thought you did pretty well for what it's worth."

A small smile tugged at May's soft lips. "Thanks, Chris."

"EFFIN' ZUBAT! DROP THE EFFIN' PIKACHU, DAMMIT!"

"Yeah ..."

* * *

"This. Is. Stupid."

"You hush up, and wash your mouth out with soap, young man."

"I am not a man. I am a gyarados."

"MARCH!"

There was something odd looking about a delcatty, as petite as she was, barking orders at a creature, a creature with jagged teeth, piercing eyes and was slithery and long at that. What was more disturbing was that said vicious creature seemed to whimper before retreating into the depths of the tranquil lake, causing the water to ripple in perfect vibrations.

"I'm so running away," was what the rest of the pokémon heard Hydro grumble as his head went below the water.

Shaking her head, her cute, little nose in a wrinkle, Skittles pounded the floor with a fore paw and turned her head, gazing at the mightyena lying down next to her, his front paws covering his eyes. With an eye roll, Skittles pulled Sirius' paws away from his eyes and glared at him. "Can't you at least do something about our children, Sirius? Hydro is totally at that rebel teenager stage. I swear we should send him back to the orphanage or wherever we adopted him."

Sirius merely grunted and turned his head, his usual gleaming eyes a dull ruby. Was this what life was going to be like with Skittles if they had a family?

Oh, latios. A family? Forget that whole mating ritual. What happens if they do have a family? Would he even make a good dad?

"You're so useless as a dad."

Well, that quickly answered his question. He couldn't help but argue, though. "I'm useless?" Sirius sat up and gaped. "Skittles ... You scared away our 'family.' The only one that's still here is Tai, and that's because he's bitter about being the mailman."

Skittles sighed. "No one knows how hard it is to be a parent. I mean, I'm juggling between being a good wife, and a good mother while still maintaining my career-"

"What career? You have no career!"

"Shut up! Don't you insult me! I'm trying to find a job, but you won't even watch the kids! How am I suppose to find a job if you don't?"

Sirius emitted a low growl from the back of his throat in response and turned his head, infuriating the delcatty more.

"Hmm ... Looks like Skittles' family is falling apart, Muddy. Kind of sad. Amusing, though."

"Dumbledore, what are you talking about?"

Flare swung her legs across the thick branch of the tree she was perched in and looked down, her eyes piercing into the top of Muddy's head, which, oddly enough, had a wizard's hat on it. Flare watched amusedly as the swampert shifted his "wand" to his left paw to adjust the star-speckled hat with his right. The rock he carted back from Littleroot was still clutched in his left paw, still adorned with red, yarn-like material. She sighed, buried her face in her claws, before looking down at the contently idling swampert below her swinging legs.

"Why are you calling me that?"

"What? Dumbledore?"

"Er ... Yeah."

Muddy looked up, his orange eyes wider than usual underneath the unusual pair of crooked eyeglasses. "That's because you look like him."

"I don't even know what a Dumbledore is. Hell, how do you know what a Dumbledore looks like?"

The swampert switched wand hands, flicking the make-believe wand in the air, the dead leaves blowing back and forth. "It's obvious." Muddy smiled, tapping Ron's head with his stick.

Flare held back a sigh.

"Geez, Flare. He's from Harry Potter. Don't you know anything about pop culture?"

"... How do you know anything about pop culture?"

He threw his arms in the air, shaking them around a bit in disbelief. "Because, obviously, this entire seventy something chapter story is just one big parody where the author continually breaks the fourth wall with references to the world outside of the make believe realm that is pocket monsters, cleverly disguising it as an epic adventure 'fic based on the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald pokémon games, tricking hundreds of thirteen year old fan girls – and quite possibly boys – with hoennshipping hints, only to make them massively cry out in disappointment once the end comes ... maybe." He glared into the distance, the wind zipping past him, ratting the leaves on his wand. "Maybe ... But dammit, the ending IS epic."

Flare jumped down from the branch, glancing at Muddy with slight amusement. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Um ... Boobies?"

"That's what I thought." She swiped the stick out of Muddy's hand much to his whining. "Either way, you're one hell of a confusing pokémon, Muddy." She rolled the twig in between her claws, the jagged edges prodding into her skin, before handing it back to the greedy swampert who immediately hunched over, hissing while stroking it.

"My name is Harry Potter," he finally muttered.

"Whatever, Harry."

"Thanks, Dumbledore. Now say, 'You're a great wizard, Harry.'"

"... I'm not saying that."

"Dammit, say it!"

"It."

"Touché"

* * *

"So how's the game going, 'Brednan'?" asked May amusedly.

"Shut up," the boy grumbled back.

May ignored his request. "Here's what I don't get about this game, and I've been watching this game for quite some time. If this is so-called 'unexplored land,' then how the hell is there a train track? And why can't you get off said train track? Surely you could get better pictures if you went off the track." The girl shook her head and leaned back, noticing Wally entering the room from the archway. She shook her head, smug. "This Professor Oak fellow ... he's not as good as he seems."

Brendan paused the game and turned around, disgruntled. "Again, shut up," he muttered, much to the girl's merriment. He let out a cough to clear his throat and turned his attention back toward the television. "Now where was I ... Ah, yes. That's right, Mew! Spin! Spin, I say!"

"Mewwww!" was Mew's response on the television set as Brendan continually threw pester balls at the poor feline pokémon in the game. The legendary spun in circles as the pester balls hit it, exploding on impact, its tail swirling around its slender body in a dizzying spiral. Blast after blast of purple smoke engulfed the mew, making Brendan shriek insanely, his thumbs running over the worn out buttons of the old controller.

Wally plopped himself in the free spot next to May on the couch, sinking into the soft, black leather, causing the couch to make odd, scrunching noises as he adjusted his body to sit more comfortably. May smiled at him, her eyes sparkling in curiosity.

"So I take it you won your battle?" she remarked, noticing the sheer relief on the green-haired trainer's face and the relaxed, slouched position he was sitting in.

He nodded, happy. "I'm in the preliminaries," he replied with glee, unable to hold back his grin. "Wow... the top twelve. In just a couple of days, it'll be the finals. I can't believe how fast this week is going by."

May scooted over to sit closer to Wally, giving him a tight hug in congratulations. "I'm so excited for you – for you both, really." She released Wally from her grasp and nudged her head in Brendan's direction even though he was oblivious to her comment. "Oh, I hope Chris wins his battle. I'm sure he will. He's been studying his opponent for hours." The girl lifted her foot and kicked Chris' thick book that rested on the floor with her dirty, orange sneaker. "You know, since there are only going to be twelve left, I wouldn't be surprised if one of you three were pitted against each other. I know it was surprising that we had to battle since there fifty of us then, but you only have so many options in the preliminaries."

Wally shrugged. "I suppose. Knowing my luck, I'll be pitted against Brendan."

"At least you'll kind of have an idea what you're up against if that does happen."

"Stupid orb of stupid energy that surrounds that stupid mew, thus leaving me incapable of taking a stupid picture," muttered Brendan, sliding closer toward the television, bug-eyed. "Stupid Brednan! Throw the damn apples farther!"

A loud shattering noise followed by a loud meow resounded throughout the room, causing the boy to shriek in delight.

"Take _that!_" he proclaimed.

May sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "Is today over yet?"

"Still didn't get that chocolate yet, eh, May?"

"You're just asking to be smacked, aren't you, B Boy?"

"Shutting up now."

* * *

"So give me advice, Dumbledore." The swampert shifted his weight between his legs, bouncing back and forth while rolling his shoulders, punching the air in front of him like a boxer. He let out puffs of breath, bouncing in a steady rhythm. "If I'm going to defeat the dark lord, I'm going to need all the advice I can get."

Flare pressed her back against the rough trunk of the oak tree, admiring the light blue sky from in between the gaps of leaves and branches that swayed in the breeze above her head. "You know, you never really explained who Dumbledore really is, and you keep rambling about this 'dark lord.' I'm going to assume it's one of the other pokémon, though. But who ...?" She trailed off, surveying the landscape in front of her. Cherry and Silver managed to fly away from Skittles and were now busy frolicking in the flower field, a colorful array of yellow and pink. Somewhere in the glassy lake was Hydro and Sapphire, most likely hiding from the wrath of Skittles. Cinders was nestled comfortably underneath the base of another oak tree a few yards away next to a meditating Cy who kept a steady eye on her. And latios knows where Tai went after he let out a huge pissy fit for for being the mailman.

All of these have a common factor, and Muddy was looking at it right now.

The blaziken rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Muddy. Skittles isn't the dark lord ... whatever that means. I mean ... Look at her!" Flare gestured a clawed hand toward the delcatty. She was busy nudging Sirius with her nose, mewing a bit. "She's too, dare I say, cute to be a dark lord. I can't believe I'm actually playing along with this."

"It's obvious that she is, Flare," the swampert rebutted. "I mean she scared away everyone. That's a dark trait, isn't it?"

"Not really."

"And you know the old saying, 'So cute it's evil!'"

"... Who says that?"

"A lot of pokémon, that's what!" Muddy puffed out his chest proudly and began to march forward, pointing his wand at the mightyena and delcatty duo. "Now come, Dumbledore! Ron!" He shook his left paw, shaking off the remaining red strands on Ron's head. "We are going to defeat Voldemort! The dark lord! He-who-must-not-be-named! Other acronyms!" He stomped down dandelions in his path. Sighing, a reluctant Flare followed, her arms crossed and her back straight.

"Sirius, what's wrong with you?" asked a worried Skittles, pawing at Sirius' backside, oblivious to the moronic swampert and eye rolling blaziken coming her way.

Sirius didn't reply, his eyes slightly open as he stared at the blades of grass before him. Skittles walked around to maintain eye contact, but the mightyena simply turned his head, his ears pricked forward.

"Why haven't you said anything since we started playing? What's wrong?" she repeated in a more urgent tone.

Silence until Sirius finally murmured, "Nothing."

"Why can't you tell me?" she whined. She laid down next to him, their warm bodies pressing together. She rested her head on top of his, his black fur tickling her nose a bit. "We're together. You can tell me anything, and I won't get mad. Or too mad. Or something."

Sirius' eyes rolled back and forth in their sockets as he fought back the nerves that made their way up from his stomach and rested pitifully in the back of his throat. He continually licked at his sharp teeth, trying to moisten his tongue. "Well, Skittles ... You know how you wanted to play house? Well, tried to anyway."

He felt her nod.

"Does that mean that ... that you want to ..." He gulped, unable to finish his sentence.

Skittles caught on, though. She raised an eyebrow. "Sirius, we haven't been together that long. It's much too soon to be thinking about ... er, a family."

"I know. It's just ... Is it even possible for us to ... you know." Sirius felt Skittles nuzzle the top of his head in comfort, and some of his nerves went away.

"I don't know. But this wouldn't be the first thing that was illogical about our life. I mean, Muddy is apparently a twin even though mudkips are born from eggs. And even if we ... don't ... you know, well ..." Skittles lifted her head from Sirius' and looked up toward the sky, the sun smiling back at her, "well, it's just nice being with you. So let's just enjoy each other's company for now. Don't worry about it."

"I try, Skittles."

The two awkwardly listened to the bird pokémon chirp in the trees and watched the scenery in front of them seeing as they didn't know what else to say. A goldeen flipped in the water, drops of water flinging from its body and sparkling like diamond before following her back down into the lake, rippling the glossy surface. A wingull dropped down from the sky with a loud chirp before swiftly pulling itself back up, the tip of its wing grazing the water.

Skittles tore her eyes away from the lake and noticed the tense position Sirius was in. What he was worrying about clicked in her mind. "You'll be a good dad, Sirius," she murmured quietly.

He smiled, relaxing. "You too, Skittles."

Skittles let out a small laugh, resting her head near Sirius', finally content. This contentedness was quickly shattered when she finally noticed a triumphant swampert stand a few feet away with Flare behind him, rubbing the back of her head. She sighed, annoyed.

"Of course. Muddy _always_ ruins our happy moments." The delcatty stood up and walked closer to Muddy, her eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"I am here to claim what is rightfully mine!" he proclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest further.

"I thought you were here to defeat the dark lord," Flare muttered.

"Oh, that's right. My bad." Muddy carefully set down Ron in a grassy patch. He pointed his stick toward Skittles who jumped back a bit at the sudden attention and the oddness of it all. "Sick 'em, Ron! Show 'em whatcha got!"

Ron did nothing.

Muddy looked back and forth between the riled up Skittles and the rock that was content sitting in the grass. After a few more seconds, Muddy, frustrated, kicked Ron lightly. "Dammit, Ron! You are useless! I will take care of this myself!" He stepped forward, gripping his wand tightly, his hat falling off his huge head. "Prepare yourself! Because here it comes, Voldemort! Hocus pocus, whatever-the-hell-spells-are-called-in-that-book-itis!" Muddy twirled the stick and pointed it at Skittles.

As predicted, nothing happened. Muddy waved his stick again, tapped it against his head, and then pointed it at the annoyed delcatty. Nothing again.

"Ugh. What's wrong with this thing?" Muddy complained, pulling his arm back and observing the stick. He ran his paw up and down the thin branch. "Ah. Now I know what to do." Reeling his arm back, Muddy threw the stick, and it flipped in the air as it flew towards Skittles, smacking her in the head.

"Nice magic," remarked Flare sarcastically.

"I know, right?"

Skittles let out a loud howl and shook her head to rid her eyes of the stars that blurred her vision. Hissing, she quickly turned her head toward the amused Sirius. "Well, do something!"

"Oh, Skittles. You can take care of this yourself," he replied.

"Fine!" Jumping forward, Skittles opened her mouth, a light blue ball of energy forming in her mouth. The ball started to release frost as it crackled with energy. Digging her paws into the ground to find footing, Skittles released the energy from her mouth, and the ball formed into a beam of ice, beelining for the wide eyed Muddy.

"Dumbledore will save me!" he shouted. He turned around and looked at the bewildered Flare before quickly jumping behind her. Before she could jump out of the way, the ice beam that Skittles fired hit her directly in the stomach, and she let out a loud yelp in pain. Despite the type advantage, Flare still keeled over all the same, falling onto her knees before laying on her side, her claws pressing against her stomach where she was hit.

"Oh, latias, why?" Muddy, too, dropped to his knees and put his face in his paws, weeping. "Why did Dumbledore sacrifice himself for me? Why, why, why! Now he is dead! Dumbledore is dead!"

"You ... jumped ... in ... front of ... me ... moron," Flare managed to gasp out. She sat up up, still rubbing her stomach. "And I'm not dead."

Muddy quickly slammed Flare back down into a lying position, making her screech again. "_Dead_ I said!" he yelled, putting stress on the first word. "Dead! Dumbledore is dead!"

"Oh, my god. He dies?" Sirius sat up, his eyes pricked up. "I ... I didn't finish reading that book!"

"That's right! That's right!" Muddy, too, stood up and glared at the mightyena. "Maybe next time you won't spoil books for me, jerk! Oh, and Hedwig dies, too!"

"No!"

Flare sat back up again, rubbing the back of her head. "You mean you did all that just to get back at Sirius for spoiling a Harry Potter book for you? You're so lame and apparently a slow reader as that book has been out for quite awhile now."

Muddy used his foot to kick Flare back down, her head slamming down hard against the ground. "DEAD I SAID!"

"Ugh ... You'll be dead once I stop seeing two of you."

* * *

"How is he still playing that game? It's been seven hours!"

"Do not underestimate the awesomness that is Pokémon Snap, May." Chris swirled his drink around, enjoying the sound of clattering ice. He took a drink, the dark liquid zooming up the straw. "Because it is one helluva epic game."

"Seven hours, though, Chris," she repeated as she sat back down on the couch next to Wally, Chris following suit.

"Eh, I suppose." Chris bent over and flicked the back of Brendan's head. "How's the game coming, 'Brednan'?"

Brendan turned around, his eyes bloodshot, freaking out his friends. "I almost beat ... I almost beat the records that Professor Oak sent for me," he answered in hoarse voice, his body twitching. "Just ... just ... one more level and I win."

"Oh, no, Brendan. You don't win Pokémon Snap," remarked Wally, shaking his head. "Pokémon Snap wins you."

"That makes no sense," muttered May.

"It does if you ever played it." With a grin, Wally turned toward Chris. "Hey, I heard you won your battle. Congratulations."

"You too, Wally. Tomorrow is going to be epic. They should be putting up the list of who's battling who for tomorrow soon."

Sure enough, three loud beeps resounded throughout the living room. Wally and Chris quickly pulled out their pokénavs while Brendan ignored his that was still clipped on his belt, letting it beep.

"Luke against Melissa ... John against Thomas – oh, here we go!" Wally found his name on his list. His eyes narrowed as he looked at both Chris and Brendan, his lips sliding down into a frown. "Ha ... Well, that figures."

Chris also looked at his list on his pokénav, his grin quickly fading away. "Well ... It was bound to happen sooner or later." He clapped Wally on the back. "It's going to be one hard battle for sure."

"What? Who's battling who?" May got onto her knees and peered around Wally's back to look at his pokénav screen. Wally made things easier for her and handed her the device, and the girl took it eagerly in her hands, scrolling down the list by pressing the buttons. After finishing the list, she shrugged. "I feel like I should be surprised, but I'm not, unfortunately. It was bound to happen." May kicked off her sneaker and pressed her socked foot against Brendan's back, making him grunt. "Check your pokénav, Brendan. It's important."

"In a minute," he grumbled back, making a motion with his free hand, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Brendannnn," she whined.

"Oh, fine." Obliging the girl's wishes, Brendan paused his game and pulled out his pokénav, accepting the new message. He scrolled down the list of trainers that made it to the top twelve. Strange trainer after strange trainer after strange trainer. Finally, his eyes landed on a familiar name – Wally's – but it was paired up against another strange trainer. "I don't know what you're getting so riled up about, Wally. You're not facing ..." He trailed off as he made it to the end of the list where his name was.

Brendan Birch versus Chris Conifer.

Brendan's eyes met the alarmed ones of Chris', and the comfort he had playing the old Nintendo 64 game quickly dissipated like that. While Chris was no Wally – a trainer that Brendan already admitted he didn't want to battle in the league – that didn't mean he was no easy trainer to beat.

Chris tapped his fingers on his knees before picking up his book on the floor. He nodded at him, gulping back his own set of nerves. "Good luck, Brendan," was all he said before getting up and walking toward the hall.

* * *

Below is a spoiler of HLBMA's possible sequel. Read if you like.

LaTeR dAyZ!

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**Sneak peek of The Battle Frontier: A Brendan and May Adventure Continues ...**

"I hope you don't mind," said the guide, "but we added one more resident to your condo seeing as you have one of the bigger ones. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your stay, and good luck with your battles!" With a smile, the guide gave a friendly nod at the waving Wally and May before stepping outside into the cheery daylight.

"Darn. That means only one of us will have a room to themselves," muttered Chris while snapping his fingers. "I am not rooming with Brendan. He snores."

"No I don't!" argued Brendan, punching Chris lightly in the arm.

"How would you know?" The former Team Magma agent rolled his eyes. "You're asleep, moron."

"Well– "

While the two boys argued, Wally and May explored the condo, peering their heads around each room. Their shoes squeaked across the shiny wooden floorboards and the ceiling fan cooled down their flushed faces.

"Man, these rooms are better than the ones I have at home," remarked Wally, peering into the last bedroom before meeting May in the living room. He glanced at Brendan and Chris. "Please, please don't make me bunk with Brendan, though."

"Oh, he doesn't snore that bad. I think it's kind of cute," said May with a giggle, pressing a finger across her lips. She strolled into the kitchen where the wood planks turned into cold, white linoleum and stood at the sink as Wally trailed behind her. He went toward the fridge and opened it, searching its contents.

"Empty," he murmured. "We should go stock up on food tonight then."

"Let's go do that right now then," May replied. She tugged on Wally's shirt to pull him straight, pulling him toward the door. "Okay, you two. Pitch in some money. Wally and I are going to go get grocery shopping."

"Oh, please!" shouted Brendan, ignoring the girl, pumping a fist in the air, his eyes boring holes into Chris' own pair of red eyes. "I was sick that night! Everyone snores when they're sick!"

"Sure, sure." Chris waved off Brendan's anger with a flick of his hand, haughtily pointing his head up and smirking wider. He then looked down at May's open palm and promptly slapped it with his own. "High five!"

"Ugh." May put her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes.

There was a knock on the wooden panel of the door frame, catching everyone's attention. "Um, excuse me, but is this condo number eight?" asked a boy quietly from outside.

Standing at the doorway with his hand clutching the handle of his luggage was a young boy, no older than Brendan himself. He was dressed rather oddly for the hot Hoenn weather but casually all the same, clad in baggy blue jeans and a black shirt, a single, thick gray stripe going across it. The red scarf wrapped around his neck flapped backward in the light breeze.

"Yes it is," answered Chris with a nod, grinning at the boy. The boy smiled back weakly and stepped onto the wooden floor boards, struggling to roll his heavy luggage over the metal threshold. "Do you need help with–"

"No, I'm all right. This thing is heavy because of all the books I cart around," said the boy, turning around so he could place both of his hands on the handle, finally pulling the wheels over the threshold with a gasp. His red and gray shoes squeaked on the shiny floor.

"Hey, Wally," whispered May, tapping Wally on the shoulder as the new boy stood there awkwardly, taking off his red beret and revealing his short, dark blue hair, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead. "Wasn't that the guy you helped earlier?"

"I think so," replied Wally back quietly. He waved his hand slightly in welcoming. "Er, hi."

"Hi," replied the boy, setting his luggage near the door and walking closer to the four. He fiddled with an odd, bulky black watch on his wrist nervously.

The five stood in silence, Chris and Wally watching the new boy attentively while he continued to play with his watch which made the casual beep now and then. Brendan put his hands behind his neck and looked up, whistling to himself. May shifted her weight between her feet and took it upon herself to break the awkward tension.

"Well, I'm May Maple," she remarked cheerfully, pointing to herself. She then gestured to Wally. "You already met Wally Wood earlier, though I don't think he had a chance give you his name." She then pointed at Chris who smiled nervously. "That's Chris Conifer. And finally," she sighed at the arrogant posture Brendan was standing in, "the moron with the cocky smirk on his face is Brendan Birch."

"Psh." Brendan tore his eyes away from the ceiling and looked straight into the cool, dark blue eyes of the new boy. "And who are you, kid?" he asked coolly.

"Latias, could you be any ruder?" muttered May under her breath.

"I'm Lucas," he said in the same cool tone as Brendan's, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow, taken aback by Brendan's attitude. "Lucas Lux."


	63. Fighting Fire with Fire

HAY, GUYZ, WE'RE ALMOST AT THE END!

Muddy: Yay!

Enjoy!

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**Fighting Fire with Fire**

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Brendan nervously scuffed the ball of his foot against the gritty ground, tiny pebbles rolling underneath his dirty right sneaker. His balled fists were shoved deeply inside the pockets of his pants, and he looked up, observing the stadium of roaring fans wildly waving their arms in the air. Neon posters decorated the audience, some bearing his name in glitter. A good amount of posters also bore the name of his opponent, Chris.

Chris ...

Chris hadn't returned to the room ever since he found out that he would be fighting Brendan in the first wave of preliminaries. In fact, this was the first time he saw him, standing on the opposite of the field, also watching the crowd with nonchalant wonder. The field was barren except for the chalky white line that divided the field, but that soon would be changed once the battle began.

"Brendan!" he heard a few people screech in the crowd, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned around and waved meekly at the crowd, and the crowd behind him roared excitedly in response. Things were different with the crowd. Still loud, of course, but this time they knew his name. Being in the top twelve gave him some sort of recognition – a recognition that wouldn't last a few weeks after the league was over if he lost. It made him feel good, though.

His attention went from the crowds to the jumbo screen. His picture, along with Chris', were on opposite sides of the screen, along with the time and the field spinner. What was different about this screen compared to his previous battles were the slots where their used pokémon would be pictured. Instead of three slots, there were six. A full battle, and his first one in the league. He was nervous, of course, but for a different reason. Brendan stared curiously at Chris, who was not only his former partner in Team Magma, but one of his closest friends. Was he worried like he was? Did he want to win just as badly? And where _did_ Chris go after last night? Probably left to study, no doubt. How much did Chris know about him and his battle style now? Frankly, he wished he studied Chris a bit more, but then again, he IS a same type trainer after all. Fire types would be easy to take out with pokémon like Muddy and Emmy on his team. Still, he had to be careful.

Wally and May sat in the second row of the stadium right where the field was divided, looking back and forth between the bewildered Brendan and the cool-headed Chris. It was a sunny day like always but annoyingly humid instead of dry. The light breeze provided some relief, but the gusts weren't often and didn't last long enough.

"So who are you cheering for?" asked May, turning her head to look at Wally. She wiped at the back of her neck, making a face when her fingers picked up sweat.

Wally gripped the sides of the popcorn bucket that sat on his lap. "Well ... hmm. I've known Brendan longer but then again, we still aren't the best of friends. I don't know Chris that well, but he seems like a pretty good guy."

"I have, like, the opposite problem of you; I've known both Brendan and Chris for so long, so I'd feel just as bad if I cheered for one over the other. I wonder if this is how Brendan felt when you and me had to battle."

"Heh." Wally wiped his forehead, lifting his sticky bangs. "That was a little different."

She smiled, reaching over to grab a few pieces of popcorn, throwing it in her mouth. "I guess." Her eyes softened a bit as she chewed on the snack. She swallowed. "They're really good friends, Wally. They've been through a lot. I just hope that they remain close friends no matter what the result."

"Hmm ... you seem genuinely concerned about these battlers."

May turned her head to the left to look at the man who said this. Curly brown hair, round, black sunglasses, and a blue collared shirt decorated with flowers and some sort of odd pokéball design that May hadn't seen before. He didn't look toward her, though, his eyes fixated on the field.

"Yeah," she answered quietly as Wally peered around her to look at the man as well. "The people battling are two of my friends. Well, er, one is my friend, the other is ... um ..." She blushed a bit, twiddling her thumbs. "Well, I don't know what we are, but we're close all the same."

"You're close with who? Brendan?" asked the man curiously, still not tearing his attention away from the field.

May's cheeks flushed further, her head still bowed down, hair drooping in her face. "Yeah. I travel with him." She then looked up at the man again. "Hey, do you know Brendan or something?"

He nodded. "I've met him once before, though I have seen him a few times on the television. So if you traveled with him, that must make you May, right?"

May smiled again. "Yeah. May Maple." She then gestured toward the wide-eyed boy sitting next to her, staring at the strange man. "Oh! And this is Wally."

"Wally Wood, isn't it?" the man repeated thoughtfully, glancing at Wally through the top of his sunglasses. "Yes, I saw your battle today. You're one of the more creative battlers here, Wally. Congratulations on making it to the top six."

Wally let out a nervous laugh. "Thank you."

"Anyway," the man turned his attention back toward the battlefield, "I'm Scott."

Before May could kick up a conversation, the announcer's voice rang throughout the stadium over the speaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome you to our third battle at the preliminaries!"

The audience responded by simultaneously cheering Brendan's and Chris' name while stamping their feet.

"Representing the red flag is Littleroot Town's own Brendan Birch!" The announcer paused to let Brendan's fans cheer and scream his name. "And on the green side, we have Chris Conifer from Sootopolis City!" The fans of Chris' met the roars of Brendan's own, clashing in a deafening wave of screams and applause. "As I'm sure all of you are aware of by now, we are in the preliminary portion of the Hoenn League, and accordance to Hoenn League rules, a full battle is to take place from here on out. This means that both trainers are allowed to use six pokémon each, with switching permitted only after each battle! No time limit! The trainer that is able to knock out six of his opponent's pokémon is the winner and will move on to the next round and the top six!"

The announcer hesitated before continuing. "Now everyone, if you please, turn your attention toward one of our jumbo screens to see what field our trainers will be battling on!"

There was a mass shifting of heads as everyone turned toward one of the four surrounding screens once the digital spinner took over. The arrow started to twirl around the four fields, gaining speed, beeping as it passed each individual field. Eventually, the arrow started to slow down, passing the grass field, then the water field, slowing down at the rock field but eventually stopping right at the edge of the ice field. Brendan instinctively groaned and slapped his open palm against his forehead; he absolutely detested the ice field. He supposed it wouldn't be too horrible this time, though, now that he knew how the field worked. Brendan was pretty sure Chris himself hadn't been on the ice field – at least in the Hoenn League.

The bare field in front of them let out a loud creak and shuddered as it slid back into the sides to make room for the ice field. Cold air graced Brendan's flushed face as the ice field rose from the depths, the gears below it grinding, before locking into place with a loud mechanical shut and shake. The field hadn't changed much from the last time Brendan was on it, slick with a shiny coat of ice, reflecting the bright sunlight with jagged ice rocks scattered across the field. If Brendan squinted, he could barely make out the hard, rocky earth underneath the transparent, cold surface. He wasn't fooled, though. From previous experience, he knew that the center was a pool of water covered by ice, but it was hard to access; that was where the ice was the thickest.

Brendan's strategy was simple, really. When facing an opponent like Chris, an opponent who scrutinized over every single detail and planned accordingly, you have to think outside the box. Be creative. Knock him on his ass, if you will.

"The coin toss held before the battle determined that Chris will have the first move. When you're ready judge," declared the announcer, "wave down your flags to begin the battle!"

The judge nodded firmly before looking at Brendan, and then Chris. He lowered his arms with a quick motion, the flags flapping in the wind, and yelled, "Begin!"

Chris plucked a pokéball from his belt and held it below his chin, enlarging it with a press of a button. "All right, Ember! Show your stuff!" He reeled his arm back before releasing the ball from his grasp. The ball skid along the slick battlefield before breaking open, revealing the fluffy, furry form of Chris' flareon, her orange and yellow fur a bright contrast against the sleek ice. Ember let out a small growl in disdain at the cold, her sharp claws scratching at the ice.

"I know, Ember." Chris looked across that battlefield, staring at Brendan. He noticed his pokémon's long ears prick forward as he talked. "I'm not fond of this field either."

_What's important right now is weakening the ice in the middle_, thought Brendan, his gloved hand running down each of his pokéballs. _It'd open a lot of opportunities if I could access the water below it_. _I could probably get Chris' pokémon__ to do that for me, so long as the pokémon__ I use can dodge the attacks._

Brendan, smirking, picked up a pokéball and threw it toward the battlefield. "Up and at 'em, Sirius!" The ball spiraled in a blur of red and white before releasing the beast within, snarling as he landed on all furry fours. His red eyes then went wide as he nearly lost his footing on the slippery flooring, whining a bit. "Ugh," he muttered to himself. "Maybe I should have picked a pokémon that's able to stand on ice. No matter."

"Start things off with Iron Tail, Ember!" commanded Chris, pointing a finger at Sirius.

"Dodge, Sirius," countered Brendan, "with Faint Attack!"

Ember nodded, her tail glowing in a white light as she half ran, half skidded her way toward the mightyena, her head lowered. She then climbed up an ice rock to gain height and flipped in the air so that she would land tail first. Sirius closed his eyes and disappeared when Ember was in close range and appeared behind her, much to her bewilderment. The flareon landed with a sickening thud, more because the ice cracked under the might of her tail, and she got up groggily, shaking her head.

"Good job, Sirius!" Brendan cheered. "Crunch 'em!"

"Smokescreen, Ember!"

Sirius sprinted toward the flareon, his mouth open to reveal his sharp teeth, but Ember opened her mouth as well, releasing black, billowing clouds that engulfed her tiny frame. Sirius coughed and backed away a bit, unsure if he should enter the clouds.

"Shoot Shadow Balls into the smoke, Sirius!" commanded Brendan.

Sirius nodded and bowed his head a bit, a black ball of energy building up between his teeth. The ball crackled, snapping at his jawline, before he released the ball into the smoke, followed by another, and then one more. The first ball skid along the ice, cracking it a bit, before careening into an ice rock on the opposite side of the smoke. The second and third one contacted with something, the sound of rock breaking echoing throughout the stadium, but it was somewhere within the smoke.

"Okay, Ember! Quick Attack!" shouted Chris.

Somewhere from within the smokescreen, Ember let out a mighty roar and charged out of the billowing black clouds, ramming hard into Sirius before he could react. The two skid along the ice, Sirius on the bottom. Using her hind legs, Ember pushed Sirius further and faster across the slick ground, and the mightyena collided head first into an ice rock, cracking it in two. With a mighty howl, followed by shuddered breath, Sirius stumbled onto his four legs, wavering back and forth between consciousness, dizzy. The flareon merely smirked as Sirius continued to wobble back and forth before landing on his side with a flop, twitching with fatigue.

"Mightyena is unable to battle!" shouted the judge, holding up Brendan's flag. "Flareon wins!"

The crowds cheered themselves into a frenzy as Sirius' picture faded from the screen. Brendan pulled out Sirius' pokéball and returned him in a beam of red light.

"Thanks, Sirius. You did a great job," said Brendan with a smile as he clipped his mightyena's pokéball back onto his belt. "That defeat came faster than I thought ..." He trailed off as his eyes settled at the middle of the field where the field was cracked but still not broken fully. "Though it wasn't too pointless ... I gotta stop being so careless." With a slight nod, Brendan grasped a ball around his fingers and threw it toward the field. "Let's go, Cy!"

The ball opened itself as soon as it hit the icy ground, revealing the tall, gawky figure of Brendan's kadabra, his spoon clutched in his left hand, and the star on his forehead glowing a bright red. His sharp claws dug into the icy ground so he wouldn't slip.

"Future Sight, Cy!"

Cy nodded and clasped his hands around his spoon, a white light engulfing him. And just like that, the light disappeared, though the air seemed more disturbed.

Ember could no longer hide herself within her smokescreen, for the smoke drifted away with the wind. It didn't seem to matter to Chris, though. "Flamethrower!" he ordered.

Ember jumped up a bit at the demand and lowered her body to the ground, opening her mouth to release a steady stream of flames. The intense heat made the icy rocks melt a bit, water dripping and pooling around the bottom.

"Send it right back with Psychic!" countered Brendan as the flames came closer to Cy's still form.

At least he learned one thing from Wally with his battle against May, images of Wally's gardevoir sending back Cherry's Secret Power reflecting in his mind. Cy's spoon glowed an eerie purple before he released the light from his spoon toward the flames, engulfing them and making them change from a brilliant orange to the odd purple. Focusing his energy in the attack, Cy, his eyes narrowed, managed to change direction of the fire and sent it straight toward the wide-eyed flareon. Ember howled as the flames engulfed her body, and she grit her teeth, standing her ground, her eyes clenched shut.

"Ah, crap," muttered Wally, leaning forward as the battle raged on. "Brendan obviously didn't research his opponent's pokémon's special abilities ..."

"What?" May turned toward Wally, Scott following suit. "Why?"

"A flareon's special ability is something called Flash Fire," answered Wally.

May waited a bit to see if Wally would continue speaking. "Andddd ...?" she urged after awhile.

"Andddd ..." he used the same exaggerated tone as May, "if a pokémon has that ability, that means that they can absorb any opposing fire attack and use it back at them with increased power."

"Ah, crap," May echoed Wally's earlier statement.

A low growl emitted itself from the back of the flareon's throat as the flames surrounding her intensified, ignoring the smirking kadabra and his equally smirking trainer behind him. Pawing at the ground in frustration, Ember finally opened her mouth and released a bigger stream of fire, hitting the kadabra before he had time to react. It melted the ice rocks in its path as Cy threw his arms in front of him in an attempt to protect himself from the overwhelming heat, but the power was too much, and he was thrown off his feet, skidding on his back, scorched.

"That's right. I forgot about Flash Fire ..." Brendan murmured thoughtfully. "Cy, Recover!"

Cy, shivering, glowed a bright white and levitated back onto his feet, still a bit burnt but not taken out.

"You better start taking things seriously, Brendan Birch, or I'll wipe the floor with ya," murmured Chris as he smirked. "Iron Tail, Ember!"

Ember kicked her hind legs in the air before dashing toward her opponent, her tail glowing in the same steely light like before.

"Use Reflect and then dodge, Cy!"

As soon as Ember was in close proximity, Cy crafted a translucent gold barrier out of the thin air and jumped out of the way as soon as Ember's tail crashed into it, shattering the shield into several pieces like glass. The pieces crunched harmlessly underneath the flareon's feet and she pointed her head up to look at the kadabra that jumped over her.

"While they're falling, Ember," quickly commanded Chris, pointing up, "Flamethrower!"

Psychic against the fire was a bad idea as Brendan painfully learned. There was another option, though. "Psychic on the broken reflect pieces, Cy, and point them up!"

"What the–"

Chris' confusion was soon answered. Ember opened her mouth, but not to release a powerful stream of fire but a squeal of pain instead. The jagged, glass-like pieces were glowing the same shade of eerie purple like Cy's spoon and were digging into the soft bottoms of the flareon's paws. She tried to move but only stepped on more sharp reflect pieces, squealing in more agony.

"Awesome, Cy!" shouted Brendan in excitement as Cy landed on a nearby ice rock with surprising grace, her spoon still glowing purple to control the shards.

"Get out of that spike trap with Quick Attack!" yelled Chris.

Cringing as she stepped on another sharp shard, Ember quickly hopped out of the spiky zone, her paws taking relief in the cool air that seeped out of the icy ground. Her ears suddenly pricked forward and she stopped running, shivering as an ominous ruffled her puffy fur.

"Future Sight," murmured Chris. "Dodge it with Quick Attack, let's go!"

"You ready for this, Cy?" asked Brendan as Cy stood still on the icy rock, his arms crossed, noticing the beams of energy zooming down from the sky toward the flareon. He watched as his pokémon nodded. "Good. We've only rehearsed this only a few times before, but I'm sure you can do it."

Ember let out a gasp as she dodged the first ball of energy, quickly rolling on her side and getting back on her feet to avoid the second. She continued sprinting toward her side of the field, jumping over icy rocks and hearing the attack crush and shatter them into hundreds of pieces. Panting heavily, her eyes seemed to soften as the balls of energy seemed to fade away the further she ran. After barely dodging the last attack, she let out a tired sigh, gasping for breath and turning around to face her foe. Her eyes went wide, as did her trainer's.

"So you gotta steal moves from other trainers, huh B Boy?" remarked Chris smugly.

Firmly held in between Cy's two hands, his spoon tucked behind his ear, was one of the Future Sight beams that Ember dodged, the white power glowing with brilliant radiance.

Brendan echoed his opponent's confidence. "I like to call it borrowing," he replied coolly. "Get 'em, Cy! Release it!"

Cy released the ball from its grasp, and it zoomed toward the wide-eyed flareon.

Chris crossed his arms. "Like those things are hard for my Ember to dodge. Quick Attack again!"

Brendan smirked. "Ha, not this time! Use Reflect to stop her in her tracks!"

Ember kicked up frost she scratched up with her claws and she started to run toward the ball of energy that Cy released, ready to sidestep as soon as it was close. But suddenly, before she could react, a gold barrier that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and she crashed head first into it, dazing her out. This two second stall was just enough time for Cy's ball of energy to crash through the shield and then smack the flareon upside the head, sending her flying. She howled in pain as she landed in a hard thump, trembling to get back on feet. Alas, she flopped back over, clearly exhausted.

"Chris' flareon is unable to battle!" declared the judge as Ember's picture faded off the board. "Kadabra wins!"

"What a copy cat," muttered Wally with an eye roll as the crowds cheered Brendan's name.

"Well, you gotta admit that Brendan using Reflect offensively like that was pretty original," added May, throwing a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

"He seems to be copying a few of your moves, now that I think about it, Wally," remarked Scott thoughtfully. "Even though his Psychic maneuver didn't work with that flareon's attack, I think it was somewhat inspired by your counterattack with May's beautifly's attack and how you used your gardevoir to send the attack back."

"Hmm ... He seems to be pulling all these different styles out of nowhere. I wouldn't imagine Brendan using Reflect like that. He's more of a blunt and hit first sort of battler," mused Wally, gripping the bucket of popcorn tighter between his legs. "Why the sudden change in battle technique? I'm not sure if he's good at my type of strategy."

"Maybe that is his strategy ..." whispered May. "Maybe his strategy is to throw Chris off guard."

"With both trainers having one defeated pokémon, let's see what pokémon Chris is going to use next!" commented the announcer, his voice booming over the screaming audience.

Chris looked at each individual pokéball clipped on his belt before picking one up. "Go, Bunsen!"

The ball spiraled before relinquishing the being within in a blaze of white light, a somewhat stubby but still powerful looking creature who stood on his hind legs, his stomach a golden yellow and his back fur black and spiky. He let out a roar and flared up the flames on his back, pounding his fists against his chest and snarling at his opponent. Cy merely stared back, not fazed by the vicious typhlosion.

Brendan knew very little about Chris' typhlosion, a pokémon native to the Johto region, but knew that it was one of the starter pokémon in said region. Bunsen's moveset would also be perfect for weakening the ice as well.

"Start things off Sunny Day, Bunsen!" commanded Chris.

Bunsen pressed his paws against his chest and pointed his head toward the skies, howling while doing a side-step maneuver. It was already hot to begin with, but Bunsen's chant toward the skies made the sun's rays more apparent, heating up the ice field. Already, water was beginning to pool up in cold puddles in small patches scattered across the terrain.

"Psychic on the typhlosion, Cy!" shouted Brendan.

Cy nodded, pulling his spoon from behind his right ear and pointing it toward the snarling Bunsen. Like before, his spoon started to glow purple, the same purple glow engulfing the typhlosion. With one eye closed, Cy lifted his spoon, Bunsen rising with it, and the beast hovered midair, squirming and biting. Smirking, the kadabra quickly lowered his arm, bringing Bunsen down with it. The typhlosion hit the ground hard, cracking the ice further, and he groggily got back up, one paw tenderly pressing against the side of his head.

"Flamewheel, Bunsen!" ordered Chris, cringing a bit at the hard hit.

The typhlosion got on all fours, his paws pounding against the ice as he dashed toward Cy. Roaring mightily, Bunsen engulfed himself in flames, his eyes narrowing in determination. The ice continued to get weaker underneath his heavy feet and hot flame.

"Reflect and dodge, Cy!"

"Not this time! Stop and use Swift instead!"

Cy hurriedly conjured up a reflect barrier, but Bunsen already skid to a stop by clawing at a rock. With his body still immersed in flames, Bunsen opened his mouth and released sharp spiraling stars that rocketed through Cy's shield and smacked the psychic hard in the chest. Cy flew backward, skidding on his back before wearily getting back up, panting heavily.

"Finish 'em off with that Flamewheel!" quickly ordered Chris.

Bunsen let out a growl and beelined for the worn out kadabra, his teeth bared. He then jumped up a bit and he curled up into a ball, rolling toward Cy at a heart racing speed. Before Brendan or Cy could react, Bunsen's curled form jumped into the air and pounded into Cy, scorching his chest and ramming him hard into the ground before jumping out of his coil and landing behind him on Brendan's side of the battlefield. Cy landed flat on his belly and slowly was trying to push himself up.

"Recov–"

Chris was quicker than that, and apparently Bunsen was, too. "Swift, now!"

Before Cy could even properly stand up right, Bunsen turned around and unleashed another load of spiky stars from his mouth, the stars whizzing and twirling toward the psychic, hitting him repeatedly in the back. Cy let out a gasp and fell back over, clearly exhausted.

"Brendan's kadabra is unable to battle!" stated the judge, raising Brendan's flag. "Typhlosion wins!"

"Awesome job, Bunsen!" congratulated Chris as Bunsen hurried to his trainer's side of the battlefield.

"God that thing is fast," muttered Wally, watching Brendan return his fallen pokémon. "Quick reaction time, too. Wonder who Brendan's going to send out now."

"Chris obviously trained Bunsen to react quickly to attacks and to change an attack just like that," mused Brendan, unknowingly echoing Wally's statement. He unclipped a pokéball from his belt and raised it to his chin. "Better bring out the big guns then." With a triumphant smile, Brendan released the ball from his hand. "Up and at 'em, Muddy!"

The ball burst open in a blast of white light, and as always, Muddy seemed to have just woken up from a nap. He looked about the stadium while rubbing at his right eye with a paw, dazed. With dull orange eyes, he looked his opponent up and down and gave a small sigh.

"So he's finally stepping up his game, huh?" remarked Chris, smiling. "It's about time."

"Stay in the middle of the battlefield, Muddy. You remember what's below the ice there, right?" said Brendan in a hushed voice, though his pokémon could still hear.

The swampert nodded, his fists clenched at his sides.

"All right, Bunsen!" cried Chris. "Let's start things out with Swift again!"

"Protect!" retaliated Brendan.

Bunsen, once more, blew out another flurry of sharp stars, but the swampert merely pounded his hind leg into the ice and held his thick arms in front of him, creating a gold barrier that reflected the stars in opposite directions.

"Flamethrower!" ordered the black-haired trainer.

Shaking himself a bit, the typhlosion got on all fours and blew out a steady stream of flames that intensified underneath the heat of the sun. Muddy took the hit dead on, and while he howled (purely out of overacting, as Brendan assumed), the flames didn't do much damage to the water and ground type.

"None of these far away moves are doing any good against that swampert's tough hide," muttered Chris. "Better knock that thing out with a good blow to the head like that mightyena. Like we practiced before, Bunsen! Tackle that thing to the ground, and send it flying backward!"

"Wait for it ..." murmured Brendan with baited breath as the typhlosion charged toward the still dazed out Muddy who stood his ground, his arms swinging back and forth while he stood on tippy toe. Closer, and closer, and closer ...

"Anddddd NOW, Muddy, Take Down!" quickly shouted Brendan once Bunsen was in close range.

Muddy stood all the way on his tippy toe, and with his arms raised above his head, fell forward right as the typhlosion was about to ram his head into his stomach. He flopped on top of the fire type's head, much to his dismay, and Bunsen flailed his arms and legs in the air, trying to squeeze his head out.

"This again, Brendan?" laughed Chris, reminiscing about their first battle together. "The last time your swampert landed on my typhlosion like that, it ended up with a burnt stomach. In fact, Bunsen, flare up the flames on your back to the highest notch!"

Bunsen heard his trainer underneath the bulk of swampert on top of his head and obeyed the request, kicking up the flames on his back. The orange flames flared out from beneath the swampert's stomach, and Brendan really did believe his pokémon's howls of pain this time.

"Hang in there, Muddy!" cheered Brendan, watching the ice below the two pokémon. Slowly but surely the ice was beginning the melt underneath the flared flames, weakening the flooring. "Any second now ..."

"Engulf your entire body, Bunsen! Flamewheel!"

Muddy cried out in distress as both pokémon that lay on the floor were engulfed in fire, yet the swampert refused to jump up, his paws grinding into the softening ice. His eyes were clenched shut as he felt their two bodies sink further and further down.

"Is he trying to suffocate it or something?" asked May, scratching her head. "'Cause, um, I don't think it's working."

"I don't know," replied Wally worriedly. "Even with the type advantage that Muddy has over Bunsen, heat that close and in that amount can't be good for anybody. Whatever Brendan's planning better be worth it."

_Just a little more_ ... thought Brendan, gritting his teeth, noticing the pool of water surrounding the two pokémon.

"And now, Muddy! Earthquake!"

Muddy, cringing, slammed his tail hard into the ground, making the earth shake, the ice cracking and shattering underneath the heavy weight. And like that, the ice broke in half, sending both pokémon into the icy depths of the pool below. Muddy had no problem swimming in it being a water type, and the icy water was actually a relief against his now burnt stomach, but Bunsen seemed to be having trouble, flailing about, his head barely above the water.

"Holy crap; there's water under the–"

Chris no had no time to finish his sentence as Brendan shouted another command. "Finish 'em off, Muddy! Surf!"

Muddy quickly swam toward the surface with ease and broke through it, gasping for breath. Smirking as he stared at the drowning typhlosion, the swampert quickly lifted his arms above his head, a surge of water going up with it. The two pokémon rocketed toward the air, one in complete control of the water and the other howling in protest. Muddy jumped out of the wave of water and landed on his side of the battlefield. The raised water finally crashed back toward earth, a wet typhlosion jerking around in pain.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle! Swampert wins!" announced the judge, raising Chris' flag.

"Sweet job, Muddy! Just like we planned!" cheered Brendan along with the crowd, giving his pokémon a thumb's up. Muddy merely grunted back in return, doubled over, his paw clutching at his burnt stomach.

"That was risky," remarked Wally as May stood on her feet and cheered, waving her arms frantically in the air. "I've heard of sacrifices, but I'm surprised he chose to do so with Muddy, one of the few pokémon Brendan has that can stand up against Chris' fire types."

"Well, it had to be done," argued Scott. "That swampert of Brendan's was the only one strong enough to break through the ice and still swim through that water."

Wally looked on worriedly at the panting swampert on the battlefield. "I don't know, Scott. All these battle styles Brendan's using are really uncharacteristic of him. It's going to catch up to him sooner or later, even if it is throwing Chris off guard."

"Fuego, let's go!" Chris threw his next pokéball onto the field. The creature emerged in a dazzle of red sparks, its eyes half open, though Brendan could see its beady, orange eyes peek out at him as it levitated in the air. Its stony, orange surface had jagged, yellow protrusions poking out of it like sharp daggers. True to its original name, solrock, the pokémon radiated an intense heat as it floated up and down.

Brendan looked at the opposing pokémon and then his swampert who was down on one knee, though he managed to catch his breath. One paw was still pressed against his scorched stomach. "Okay, Muddy," Brendan pulled out his starter's pokéball and returned him in a beam of red light, "take a break." With a flick of his wrist, the white-haired trainer pulled out another ball, enlarged it, and threw it toward the field. "Let's get 'em, Thermo!"

The ball broke open, revealing the tiny, squeaky castform who shrunk a bit at the intimating roars of the crowd. He then shuddered a bit as he closed his eyes, his gray form transforming into a circular orange one, his head protected in a gel-like substance – his sun form that mimicked the solrock's own shape. He looked back at his trainer, who gave him a reassuring smile, before turning toward his cold, menacing opponent, his eyes wide, floating in a gentle bob.

"Solrocks aren't true fire types per se, but I understand why Chris would be fond of them," murmured Brendan to himself as he waited for Chris to make the first move. "Thermo's ice form should be okay against this one."

"Start things off with Rock Slide, Fuego!" ordered Chris.

The solrock slammed its body hard into the icy ground, causing chunks of the icy ground to fly upward. Thermo flinched as the sharp fragments pierced his gel-like body, and then finally fell toward the floor once a huger chunk pounded on top of him. The tiny castform tried to squirm its body from underneath the rock, but he was much too weak to do it without a lot of squirming.

"Great!" Chris took advantage of Brendan's hesitation as he tried to figure out a way to get his castform unstuck. "Fire Spin!"

Fuego floated back up and started to spin slowly, quickly gaining speed. A wind whipped around him, followed by a few dancing embers. The embers then combusted themselves into a huger flame, and soon, a vortex of fire surrounded the solrock. With a mighty battle cry, Fuego levitated toward the fallen castform's body, and the fire tornado jumped from his body to Thermo's.

"Ugh. It's good we didn't switch to ice form yet," Brendan said, his eyes narrowing as he was hit with a wave of heat. "C'mon, Thermo! Get out from under that rock!"

Thermo, squealing, finally wiggled his way from underneath the heavy boulder, though he was still in a bit of pain from the swirling tornado of fire.

"Use the heat from the Fire Spin to create a Weather Ball and rocket yourself out of there!" shouted Brendan.

Thermo shivered a bit as his body glowed a bright orange, a ball of energy forming above his head. With a thrusting motion from his body, the castform sent the ball of energy toward the ground with enough force that it sent him flying up and out of the tornado. Groggy from the impact, Thermo shook his head and squeaked in front of the dull-eyed solrock.

"Time for a change in weather," remarked Brendan with a smile. "Hail!"

With a nod, Thermo glowed a light blue, his body swaying back and forth as storm clouds covered the hot sun, much to the spectators' relief. Hailstones, small in size but still annoying nonetheless, began to drop down the sky, and with the hail came a change in appearance for Thermo. His hot, sunny form transformed into the teal and purple swirl shape that Brendan was the most familiar with. The sudden appearance of cold weather made the Fire Spin Fuego conjured disappear.

Chris held up a forearm to protect his head from the falling hailstones as his solrock took a few to the head, though it looked unaffected. "Cosmic Power," he remarked coolly. Fuego obeyed, his body glowing a bright yellow as it shuddered in place. The light soon died down. "That should help with the hailstones ..." The black-haired trainer looked at the spot where the fire tornado previously was, the only remnants of it being the blackened soot. "Too cold for Fire Spin, huh? If only there was a way to use these hailstones against him ..."

"Thermo, Ice Beam!" cried Brendan, snapping his fingers.

Thermo, his eyes shining a brilliant blue, opened his mouth, releasing a baby blue beam from his mouth. The beam crookedly ran across the battlefield before hitting the solrock square in the face. Fuego muttered its name mechanically but seemed to shake the attack off just fine.

Chris took a hailstone to the head and groaned, though it did give him an idea. "Let's try Fire Spin again, Fuego."

Fuego turned around to look as his trainer, and it gave him his a confused look – or at least tried to with his face unable to move. Chris only nodded, and the solrock, its eyes rolling in its sockets, began to spin around, first slow, and then faster. Puffs of smoke and the occasional burst of flame sparked out from the high velocity, but it was just too cold to conjure up another fire tornado. The high speed managed to change the direction of the hailstones that flew in Fuego's direction, grouping them together nicely before falling toward the earth.

"Thought so," murmured Chris.

"Er ... Weather Ball, Thermo," ordered Brendan, bewildered by Chris' new strategy.

Thermo was taken aback but obeyed orders anyway, trembling with power as its body glowed, another ball of energy, this time blue, forming above his head. He thrust the ball toward the spiraling solrock. The fast spinning seemed to deflect the attack, though, sending it flying in the opposite direction. Fuego kept on spinning.

"Anddd stop spinning, Fuego, and Psychic on the grouped hailstones!" ordered Chris.

Solrock immediately stopped spinning, void of any dizziness, his body glowing a bright purple. Behind him, a rather larger amount of hailstones levitated behind him, glowing in the same color. Thermo's eyes went wide as the sheer amount of hailstones pointed at him, quivering a bit.

"You thought that first rock was hard to get out of? Try all of these. Send them flying!"

Fuego made a slight motion with his entire body, and the glowing hailstones propelled themselves toward the quivering Thermo who flinched from all the tiny, but effective hits. He squealed a bit, the hailstones embedding themselves into his body, floating lower and lower toward the ground.

"Come on, Thermo!" begged Brendan. "Fight back with Ice Beam!"

Thermo was too busy squealing and flinching to obey his trainer's request.

"And for the icing, har har, on the cake! Rock Slide at full force!"

Fuego hovered a bit into the air and quickly dropped like a weight, his impact toward the ground ripping up huge chunks of earth that flew toward the howling castform. The rocks piled on him, hitting his petite body with rapid force until another gigantic boulder fell on top of him like before. This time, no squirming was involved; all the heavy hits were just too much for the little guy.

"Castform is unable to battle! Solrock wins!" announced the judge as the audience screamed Chris' name.

"And with three pokémon fainted on Brendan's team, we will now take a fifteen minute break for our trainers to recuperate and re-strategize!" declared the announcer.

A few of the audience members began to stand up, most to stretch while others headed toward the snack bar. Wally, May and Scott remained in their seats, though, watching Brendan run onto the field to tend to his castform while Chris admired his solrock from afar.

"That's just like Chris to use his opponent's attack against him," remarked May, her hands running through her hair. "That wasn't the first time Chris used his typhlosion like that while he was underneath a pokémon."

"I think that's what Brendan was relying on with Muddy," replied Wally. "Even though that kind of bit him back, with Muddy having a severe burn and all ..."

Scott nodded. "These two aren't going to go down." He took off his sunglasses and wiped at his eyes. He then put them back on. "Not without a fight, anyway."

* * *

Yeah. Like hell we're sitting through a 6v6 chapter. Even I can't do that. :P

LaTeR dAyZ!


	64. Murmurs

Honestly, I was dreading this chapter. I am totally over battles (which is probably why I had a two month hiatus), but I know it has to be done. It's long. I don't know why it's long. It might be because of all the dialogue, but when I hit page ten (ten pages is usually when my chapters end), I realized that I still had a bit to go. And when I say a bit, I mean a lot. x.X

I will warn you that this chapter is a bit more ... PG-13, but only in three instances (two for language, one for an action), all of them being produced by Chris. Haha. Either way, enjoy!

* * *

**Murmurs**

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* * *

**

Brendan still had time to regroup, regather his thoughts. He looked at the board: Chris still had four pokémon left while he was down to three. All hope wasn't lost, especially since most of his pokémon could deal with fire types, like Emmy and Sapphire. Muddy, too. Ah, right, Muddy. He probably wasn't too happy with him after taking all that fire power head on – or stomach, rather. He hoped the small break he had gave the swampert was enough time to recover.

Shaking his head, Brendan looked at the screen, his sight fixated on Chris' picture. He shifted his eyes a bit, looking at the pokémon listed on Chris' side and then his. So ... uneven. Things would work out, right? Honestly, he wasn't even sure anymore.

He blinked rapidly a few times. This wasn't the time to think negatively.

It was still overcast, but the hail had finally stopped coming down in heavy sleets. Occasionally, Brendan did hear the slight tinkle of a hailstone dropping and hitting the ground, but they were too tiny for him to see – or care – anyway. The weather wasn't too helpful to him (harmless, really), but that was okay seeing as the weather would be annoying for Chris and his arsenal of fire types. Beautifly still beat their wings harshly within his stomach. Latios how he wanted to hurl.

"It looks like he wants to hurl," muttered Wally as May shivered, running her gloved hands up and down her goose-bumped arms. His green eyes narrowed a bit. "It totally isn't the right time to get nervous."

"Gee, you think?" May rolled her eyes. Someone's leg bumped into her back, and she snapped her head to the side and glared at the perpetrator. The perpetrator, a little girl, let out a small squeak at the spite in May's eyes before hurrying off to her seat.

"Just saying." Wally pulled his legs closer to himself as a man took the seat in front of him. "You know how we were both worried about his new found battle style. Nervousness is just going to add to his ... um–"

"Failure?"

"Well, I wasn't going to be so blunt about it. Besides, he might win."

"I hope."

"I hope we're all settled in our seats!" cried the announcer over the speaker system against the loud chatter of the stadium. "Our battle will commence in a few moments!"

"Hmm ... They changed announcers. This one's a girl," muttered May, rubbing her chin with a dainty finger. She looked up, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Why does she sound so familiar ...?"

"Yeah. Hoenn likes to surprise the audience with a bunch of guest speakers that they introduce during the second half of each battle in the finals," remarked Wally as Scott nodded in confirmation. "Juan was the guest announcer for my battle."

May clapped her hands together and looked toward the field starry-eyed. "He's so dreamy," she said with a sigh.

"Uh ... huh."

Brendan jumped up and down a few times in place, trying to shake out his jitters. He wiggled his fingers, the worn leather of his gloves bending with a slight scrunching noise. As he stood still, his eyes swept across the battlefield, cracked and broken in several places, chunks of ice littered across the frosty surface. The middle took the most damage (obviously), the pool of water rippling a bit in the slight breeze that blew to the east. His eyes traveled forward until it reached Chris' trainer box, and he observed his opponent in an odd mixture of anxiety and excitement. Chris seemed to be the complete opposite of Brendan, his composure still and calm. His fingers were wrapped around the chain that was hooked onto his belt loop and connected to something in his pocket. He gave it a slight tug, pulling its entirety out, catching it in his hand. A single pokéball was at the end, and Brendan watched as Chris gave the pokéball a slight smile, his fingers running down its glossy surface before pocketing it again.

Somehow, Chris knew Brendan was staring at him, and he looked up, still smiling. Startled, Brendan hesitantly smiled back, weak but still apparent. Chris gave him a small, friendly wave, and Brendan, gulping down nerves, replied back with a slight nod of his head.

"Ready or not," declared the regular announcer, "we're about to start the second half of our battle!"

There was a loud ruffling noise like someone was trying to rip a microphone out of someone else's hand as the girl voice that Wally and May heard earlier resounded throughout the stadium. "Guessss who it is, everyone! It's me! Gabby from Hoenn's number one show, The Pokémon Report Featuring Gabby and T.Y.! I'm this battle's special announcer!" There was a strong mixture of boos and cheers, May doing the former. "Now, now. This battle isn't about me! If you're just tuning in, folks at home, we have Brendan Birch from Littleroot Town battling Sootopolis City's own Chris Conifer! Brendan has been known to be quite the trainer, seen a few times on my own show! As the son of Professor Birch, one of Hoenn's top researchers, will this young man be able to push through what seems to be an unfortunate situation?"

"Nice advertising," May muttered under her breath.

"Have a problem with her, May?" Scott asked curiously as he looked at her.

"Well not exactly a problem." May fidgeted with her fingers. "She just likes to ... spread rumors about me and Brendan."

"Everyone that's a regular on her show really," Wally chimed in. "You have to admit, though – she was right about you and Brendan getting together."

"That's not the point, and that lazy bum _still _hasn't asked me out, so technically we're not together. It's just ... irritating, you know? Ah, well. Whatever. It's not like she can't do much harm here."

As the crowds cheered, the announcer continued. "Meanwhile, Chris Conifer is no pushover either despite his unfortunate loss in the Johto League a few years ago. Ranking unfortunately in the top fifty, Chris has been training since then with an arsenal of fire types. Will he continue to triumph over Brendan?"

"Jeez." May winced at the announcer's introduction of the two trainers. "No wonder Gabby always asks the trainer to sum up the battles for her. She repeated 'unfortunate' about three times. Why is she so bitter anyway?"

"The guest announcers of any league liked to shake up the trainers' nerves with introductions like that, especially this late in the game," Scott replied with a hearty chuckle, crossing his arms. He peered down at the field from the top of his sunglasses. "They think it causes more excitement getting the trainers all ... riled up like that."

"Well, I think it's just plain mean."

"Tell me about it." Wally huffed, blowing up his bangs. "'Wally Wood, a native to Petalburg City, was once a sickly child who overcame many obstacles to get here. Will he be able to fight the good fight, or will this be the obstacle that finally overcomes him?' T'was lame."

"... Why did you memorize all that?"

"Chris has decided to stick with his solrock!" Unknown to Wally and May, Chris had already sent out his pokémon, the solrock he used in the first half of the battle. Fuego hovered above the icy terrain, beady eyes monotonous and half closed. "With only three pokémon left, what pokémon will Brendan choose?"

Brendan plucked a pokéball from his belt and enlarged it. He reeled his arm back and threw the ball forward, sending the ball skidding along the ice. The ball split open, revealing the slick form of Brendan's lanturn as she slid on her belly toward the pool of water, splashing into it. The lanturn let out a happy cry, dipping her beacon into the water and flipping it up, sending up drops of water.

"Brendan will make the first move in this half of the battle!"

Shifting a fist to the side of his thigh, Brendan, throwing his head back a bit, yelled, "Confuse Ray, Sapphire!"

Bright, red light spilled out of Sapphire's beacon as she cried out, blinding Fuego. The dull eyes of the solrock immediately widened as it took in the light, and it hovered backward a bit, dazed and rocking back and forth.

"Snap out of it, Fuego!" shouted Chris.

"Great job, Sapphire!" Brendan cheered, pumping a fist in the air. He pointed a finger at the dizzy solrock. "Hydro Pump!"

The lanturn's body inflated a bit, her rubbery blue skin puffing out, and she exhaled a powerful jet of water, directly hitting Fuego. The rock type flew backwards from the impact before skidding across the ice, its hard, rock body eventually colliding into an icy protrusion behind it. The ice rock shattered into chunky pieces, and they, while glittering beautifully in the light of the overcast, fell on top of the solrock with a loud crash. Slowly, Fuego hovered back into the air, the shards falling toward the floor, but he soon crashed back on top of them, too tired to fight.

"Chris' solrock is unable to battle!" declared the judge, raising Chris' flag.

"What a quick defeat! I wouldn't expect any less from Brendan Birch!" announced Gabby in her screechy voice – or so May would remark. "Don't you think so, Frank?"

The main announcer cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, uh, Gabby, Chris' solrock has been in battle before, so–"

"Yeah, yeah," Gabby interrupted. May could picture the newscaster waving her co-host off with the annoying way she motioned her hand. "Let's hope Chris' humiliating defeat back in Johto doesn't resurface today! Then again, Brendan came _extremely _close to losing to me and T.Y. one time. It was between him and my super amazing loudred ... or was he a whismur still? I don't seem to recall ..."

May's hands clenched up into fists. "Oh, that Gabby is such a liar! That never happened!" she snarled, her eyebrows furrowing together. "We always had the upper hand on those two!"

Wally gave May the side eye. "Anger is not a pretty color on you."

May flicked her hair behind her shoulder and huffed. "It's true," she muttered once she calmed down. "You wouldn't get it; Gabby and T.Y. love to spread gossip about trainers around. In fact, I'm not sure how you got away from them."

"I didn't accept any of their challenges."

"Wish I had done that. It's ... it's – ugh! Annoying!"

"Uh ... huh."

Brendan watched as Chris pulled on his chain again, noticing the thoughtful look that crossed the black-haired trainer's face, but it quickly vanished once he released the chain from around his fingers. Instead, Chris reached toward his belt and unclipped a pokéball, enlarging it in his grasp.

"All right, Scrap," said Chris, reeling his arm back, "show your stuff!"

Chris released the ball from his grasp and threw it toward the field, the ball skidding along the slick ice surface before releasing the creature within. The white silhouette of the pokémon became crisper once the light that surrounded it died down, and Brendan was, to say the least, surprised.

"What the hell!" he screeched, stamping a foot in protest. He pointed an accusing finger at Chris. "That's not a fire type!"

And sure enough, the being that stood before Chris was a medicham, and a peaceful one at that with her thin limbs clasped together in meditative-like position, her black, cold eyes focused on the splashing lanturn in front of her. Two gray feet stood up on tippy toe, stretching out the red, baggy material that protected what Brendan assumed to be thin, but toned, legs. The red headpiece on her head bobbed back and forth gently as she shifted her weight between her legs.

"True," Chris admitted, a little amused, raising an eyebrow. "That isn't to say Scrap isn't capable of learning fire moves. Isn't that right, Scrap?"

The medicham nodded and unclasped her hands, shifting one of her legs backwards and bending her body at the knee. She lifted one of her hands and spread her fingers, wiggling them, her eyes focused on them. A small bit of smoke came out in a tiny, black poof before a bright, orange flame licked around her fingertips, her fire power weak from the weather. With a shake of her hand, the flame extinguished.

"You really don't expect me to send out a pure fire type in this weather, do you?" Chris replied in an airy tone, pocketing his hands and swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet. He looked up bemusedly toward the overcast skies, his eyes twinkling from the small rays of sunlight that broke through the clouds. "And if you think this weather is going to help you win, think again. The weather will break into hot weather soon enough."

"I wasn't counting on it anyway." Brendan smirked. "I don't need handicaps to win."

Chris shrugged. "I'm sure you don't." Flicking his bangs away from his forehead, Chris pointed at Brendan's lanturn, smiling. "Blow her out of the water! Shadow Ball!"

Scrap, still on tippy toe, gracefully pulled her arms toward her body, a dark, pulsing energy building between her palms. The ball crackled, its energy radiating throughout the stadium, before she released it from her grasp with a powerful thrust of her arms. The ball spiraled toward the wide-eyed Sapphire, devastating the icy terrain behind it, leaving it cracked and broken. Sapphire took the hit head on, the fierce attack rocketing her out of the pool of water and back toward her side of the field. She tumbled for a bit, the sleek ground disallowing her to slow down. With a sickening crack, the lanturn finally stopped rolling by colliding with an icy boulder. She groaned, her orb dropping in front of what used to be cheery eyes.

"While they're down, Scrap! Brick Break!" shouted Chris, slicing the air with a quick arm movement.

The medicham quickly sprinted toward the fallen lanturn on the balls of her feet, elegantly jumping over the pool of water and landing on Brendan's side of the field, her right arm thrust behind her.

"C'mon, Sapph!" Brendan pleaded, his eyes urging his pokémon to get back up. "Counter with Spark!"

The lanturn struggled to open her eyes, her lips pursed tightly together in pain. She managed to focus her blurry eyesight into something clearer, noticing the medicham heading toward her, her muscles flexed threateningly. Obeying her trainer's orders, Sapphire mustered all her energy into her beacon, letting it crackle with electricity. She swung it backward, waiting for the medicham to come to a closer range, holding her breath as Scrap closed the gap between them.

"Dodge," coolly remarked Chris.

Just as Sapphire swung her beacon forward to hit Scrap, Scrap quickly side stepped out the way, spinning in place before bending down and hitting Sapphire's body with a powerful chop. The lanturn made a weird "oof" noise (more out of surprise than in pain, Brendan figured) as she slid on her belly toward the left side of the field. She collided with another icy boulder, but the impact wasn't as strong as the last one.

"Crap, another fast pokémon !" Brendan cussed, gritting his teeth, watching as Sapphire shook her head to get rid of the stars that blurred her vision. "Confuse Ray!"

"Calm Mind!" Chris called out hoarsely.

Sapphire took another deep breath as she released the same, brilliant red light that previously confused Chris' solrock. The medicham was two steps ahead and closed her eyes, her hands clasping together again. Although the red light engulfed her body, Scrap seemed unsettled as she meditated, taking deep, even breaths.

"Sapphire's useless outside of water," murmured May, eyes narrowed in worry. "In fact, I learned this when Brendan and I had a double battle with Gabby and T.Y."

"You needed a battle to learn that?"

"Hush, Wally." A small smile crept onto her face as she looked at Wally's amused face. "You still never answered why you remembered that small introduction for your battle today."

"And you never will. Anyway, I see what you're saying; the most Sapphire can do is special attacks, and, well, that isn't working out obviously. Brendan's being direct with his battle technique again, which won't work against Chris' style."

"Brendan seems to truly shine when he's boxed into a corner," Scott remarked, butting into conversation.

"Yeah, but you never really want to be put in that position in the first place," Wally rebutted.

"True. I don't know. Guess we'll have to see what magic tricks Brendan has up his sleeves."

Brendan squinted as a ray of sunlight hit his face, the beam of light growing brighter and wider as the clouds above him departed, returning the weather above the stadium to its regular, annoyingly sunny, state. Not that it mattered – Sapphire was a water type, so Chris wasn't going to be using Scrap's Fire Punch – but it was still troublesome nonetheless, especially when (or if, to be more optimistic) he had to return Sapphire for a non-water type. Things weren't looking good, though; Sapphire, literally, was a sitting duck, and the field, with icy rocks scattered across the field, were no help either, considering they would block her path back toward the pool ... assuming Brendan had a way to push her back in there anyway. Sapphire's move set was mostly composed of long range attacks, but they probably wouldn't do any good with Scrap's quick reflexes. On top of what Brendan fondly called a "crap cake", Sapphire was pretty worn out from the previous two attacks.

Then again ...

"Hydro Pump, Sapphire!" commanded Brendan, snapping his fingers.

Sapphire puffed out her cheeks before exhaling another jet of water. Like Brendan predicted, the medicham jumped off the rock it was meditating on and flipped in the air. The water hit the rock and reflected off it, spraying it in different directions.

Brendan grunted. "Keep aiming for her, Sapphire!"

"Dodge it!" countered Chris.

Sapphire continued to blow out stream after stream of water while Scrap continued to dodge it with ease, occasionally twirling in place, her arms swinging around her. It was almost like a dance, really, mesmerizing, enchanting, but at the same time, deadly.

"Aim for her feet!"

Sapphire shifted a bit and focused her attention from Scrap's upper torso to her pointed feet, the gush of water skidding across the floor, the jet slowly growing weaker. Scrap simply side stepped to avoid this, though the jet of water quickly followed after her. She flipped in the air and landed on an icy rock, glaring at Sapphire, her arms crossed. Meanwhile, the lanturn, still on the ground, gave one final, dry puff of air in an attempt to blow out more water, but she seemed to have exhausted all of her energy. The lanturn squirmed a bit in the small puddle of water that pooled around her from all her attacks. Both pokémon were panting heavily.

"Interesting technique! Perhaps Brendan is trying to wear out Chris' medicham!" declared Gabby over the speaker, making the microphone screech and causing the audience to groan in unison. "Chris' medicham surely is trained well, though. Don't you agree, Frank?"

Frank did some odd sort of coughing noise in response.

"You know, I battled Brendan's lanturn once and it was featured on the Report. Did you see that episode, Frank?"

"I ... I did not, Gabby. Perhaps we should pay attention to the battle, though–"

Gabby ignored Frank, continuing her story. "Yes. It was a double battle between me and T.Y. I used my cute little loudred – or was it a exploud then? I can't remember this one either."

"That's a great story, Gabby, but–"

"Brendan used his lanturn, as I said earlier. He battled against me with May Maple. You guys might know her. They make such an adorable little couple, don't you agree? You know, I heard that those two are actually dating! I was right – like always! Isn't that exciting?"

"Latias, how embarrassing." May dropped her head into her hands to avoid eye contact with the chuckling Wally. "Make her stop," she murmured while shaking her head, her voice muffled by her gloves.

"Oh, I have a feeling she's just warming up," Wally replied with a smile, nudging May lightly in the arm with an elbow.

Frank cleared his throat. "Er ... hem ... both pokémon look tired! I wonder how this is going to work out for Brendan and Chris."

"That's enough dancing for now, Scrap! Brick Break!" shouted Chris.

Brendan, who's cheeks were flushed due to Gabby's previous comment, quickly looked down the battlefield, watching as the medicham jumped down from the rock, landing in a small puddle before darting over toward her opponent. Although a little bit slower due to her fatigue, Scrap was heading toward his panting lanturn at an alarmingly fast pace, kicking up leftover water from Sapphire's barrage of Hydro Pumps. Previous encounters taught him that a head on attack would easily be evaded by the medicham. No, he had to do something else if he wanted to stop Scrap.

"Charge up a Spark, Sapphire!" cried Brendan. The familiar crackling noise of Sapphire's orb charging with energy resounded in his ears.

"This again, Brendan?" scoffed Chris, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. He rolled his eyes. "You haven't learned from last time? Get ready to dodge it, Scrap."

Brendan ignored this, pointing a finger toward the field, smirking. "Now, Sapphire, hit your beacon against the floor in a wet patch!"

The tired lanturn obeyed, swinging her beacon behind her before thrusting it hard against the ground in front of her, causing the water that pooled in front of her to splash. The electricity jumped from her beacon toward the pool of water and then separated itself into two paths. One path was closer to Sapphire's, bolts of electricity jumping from the water to her body, though she seemed unnerved. In fact, she seemed to grow _stronger_ from it. The other path of electricity took a bit more to reach its target, a jagged, bright path that zigzag down the fallen path of water on the floor before it hit its target: Scrap. Scrap immediately stopped running as she got zapped, quickly falling onto her knees, her body coursing with electric energy. Her face cringed in agony, her arms trembling.

Wally, along with a few other audience members, quickly jumped onto his feet, wide-eyed. "Latios!" he yelled, pumping a fist in the air, adding to the wild cheers that erupted from the crowd. "That was awesome!"

May, who remained sitting, looked up questionably at Wally, staring at the back of his head. "Er ... I don't get it. What happened? What did he do?"

"Didn't you see it, May?" Wally exclaimed excitedly, turning his head a bit to stare at May. "It was awesome!"

"Well, _yeah_. But I don't really get what happened. He used Spark. So what?"

"So what? _So what_?" Wally sat back down, the expression on his face an odd mixture of puzzlement and astonishment. "It was much more than just Spark, May. It was ... it was ... beautiful! It was like a wonderful dance!" His eyes went starry-eyed, sparkling in the light.

"... Are you fan boy-ing over Brendan?"

"Wha – no! But really, I never expected Brendan to do something like that. I'm kind of thinking it's just luck, but eh ... Maybe you're right, Scott." Wally turned toward Scott and grinned as Scott gave him the thumb's up. "Maybe he does do better when he's boxed into a corner."

"I knew it," Scott replied with a firm nod. "Brendan may have lapses in judgment in battle, but he surely knows how to pull out the big guns when he needs to."

May waved an impatient hand in front of Wally's face, snapping his attention back toward her. "Hello?" she said impatiently, dropping her hand in her lap. "Are you not going to explain to me what exactly happened?"

"It's kind of a mix of a few things, May," began the green-haired trainer, ignoring Gabby's commentary on the battle. "As you said earlier, Sapphire is pretty much useless outside of water. A paperweight, pretty much. Brendan knows this, as does Chris. Brendan also knew – god hoping – that Chris' medicham was light on her feet and able to dodge any attack, so attacking her with a long range attack, such as Sapphire's Hydro Pump, would probably be evaded. Short range attacks, such as Sapphire's Spark, could be dodged as well."

"But he did Hydro Pump anyway," May replied, confused, scratching her head.

"Well, yeah. He wasn't trying to hit her, I figure. He just wanted to get the field wet, a watery path that lead from Sapphire to Chris' medicham."

"... Anddddd?"

"'Anddddd ...'" Wally mimicked May's tone again, "well, you don't get it yet?"

"Nope."

"So bearing in mind that Brendan knew that straight forward attacks wouldn't work, B Boy had to think outside the box and figure out a way to hit the medicham. Water conducts electricity, right?"

"Right."

"So Brendan created a wet path, a path so wide that the medicham would have to get hit it she rushed Sapphire, using a barrage of Hydro Pumps. He then used the electricity from Sapphire's Spark to ... let's say 'ignite' the path. Make sense now?"

May nodded as the tactic dawned on her. "I still don't get what the big deal was."

Wally smirked, pointing at the pools of water on the field. "Well, the real brilliance behind Brendan's strategy and why everyone seemed to be getting in a tizzy about it was the electricity that jumped from Sapphire's orb to the puddle of water around her. You see, a lanturn's special ability is Volt Absorb. So not only did Brendan manage to _restore_ Sapphire's health with her own electricity, he also managed to hit Chris' medicham. From the looks of it, it was a pretty hard blow, too."

"C'mon, Scrap!" Chris begged, watching as his medicham struggled to push herself back onto her feet. Bolts of electricity ran up and down her spine, and her teeth were gritting together in a mix of anger and pain. "Get up! You can do it!"

"Finish 'em off, Sapphire! Another Hydro Pump!" Brendan yelled, invigorated by the cheers he received from his battle tactic.

Sapphire's energy was greatly restored due to her own attack backfiring on her (not that it was a bad thing in this case). She blew out her cheeks like before and exhaled a powerful jet of water, directly hitting Scrap. The blast of water knocked the medicham off her knees, pushing her into an icy boulder where the water continued to pound into her relentlessly. Sapphire let up on her attack, and Scrap drooped down the boulder, twitching, her eyes clenched shut.

"Medicham is unable to battle!" declared the judge, raising Chris' flag. "Brendan's lanturn wins!"

There was a slight "dinging!" noise as Scrap's picture faded off the screen, the crowds screaming Brendan's name. Brendan gave the audience a slight smile and wave before turning his attention toward the jumbo screen to the left. Four of Chris' pokémon were used compared to Brendan's three. Things were finally looking up. Even if Chris did have another pokémon that wasn't a pure fire type, Brendan was well suited to take any pokémon that came his way. He might ... he might actually win this thing.

"He might actually win this thing," Wally unknowingly echoed Brendan's thoughts, looking at the screen and noticing Brendan's three pokémon against Chris' two. "He's at an advantage with two water pokémon under his arsenal. Three, if he has that vibrava of his with him."

"Yeah! Go, Brendan!" May cheered, quickly jumping onto her feet and waving her arms wildly in the air.

"Brendan surely isn't pulling any punches for this battle!" the announcer mused, his voice echoing throughout the stadium. "He certainly has a creative edge this time around!"

"Yes, yes," Gabby agreed with the regular announcer. "Brendan always was a pretty crafty trainer, though I suppose you need to be if you were in his shoes."

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Gabby?"

There was slight hesitation before Gabby responded in an almost dark, quiet tone. "Well, let's say Brendan has an interesting past, Frank."

Something dropped into the pit of his stomach. His heart, maybe? Brendan's attention quickly went from cheering Sapphire's victory to the booth where Gabby was chit chatting it up with the other announcer about his past. Like it wasn't bad, or horrible, but something sweet and nice, a conversation to be had whilst chomping on crumpets and sipping tea. She wouldn't – no, she shouldn't know about his past, right? Not that he went to any lengths to hide it and anyone that lived in Sootopolis during the week he stayed there could have blabbed ... what he did (to put it simply) to anyone. And what he did, in the wider scheme of things, wasn't terrible. So he trashed the place up a bit. Big deal. Okay, well, it was more than a big deal, but he was tricked, wasn't he? He didn't mean to – okay, he kind of meant to, but he didn't know it then. It really wasn't the right time to be thinking about Team Magma. Not anymore. That part of his life was dead. Dead and buried.

It made him nervous, nevertheless. Really nervous. Whatever confidence he built up during the battle, or any of his wins in the League, quickly shattered into millions of pieces and dissolved into the air. There was no reason to be nervous – it was all in his head, after all. Gabby knows nothing. Gabby knows nothing. That's it. Gabby knows nothing.

Or Gabby better know nothing, and if she does, she better keep that damn mouth of hers shut.

Brendan's nervous energy wafted from his body, and May was the receiver of it, an anxious feeling running through her veins and jumping up and down her spine. She slowly dropped her arms back to her side and sat down next to Wally, her eyes wide with fear. "She wouldn't, would she?" she asked more to herself than her friend next to her. Her fingers wiped at the sides of her face, picking up a cold sweat. "No ... She knows nothing. She can't ... She won't."

"She won't ... what?" It was Wally's turn to be confused.

"Something bad, that's what." May wrung her fingers together, biting her lower lip.

"Ah, so Gabby knows a bit of gossip about our dear Brendan, does she?" Frank asked in a sly tone, his voice booming over the microphone. "What is it?"

May knew a mischievous grin made its way to the annoying newscaster's face in the way she delivered her next sentence: "Well, Frank, maybe I'll tell you later. Until then, let's refocus on our battle!"

Brendan let out a sigh of relief, returning Sapphire for a break. Not that he didn't trust Sapphire to continue battling, especially since she recharged her energy, but he'd rather not be at a terrain disadvantage any longer. There also wasn't any need to use Muddy right away, and the pokémon still could use a rest.

Plucking a pokéball from his belt, Brendan pressed the ball up to his chin, taking in a deep breath, before yelling, "Come on out, Emmy!" while releasing the ball from his grip. The ball skidded on the ice before releasing the creature in a bright, white light. Emmy's stick-thin legs slipped a bit on the ice, but the vibrava quickly took the air with a quick flap of her wings. Brendan could hear the vibrations from her wings as she beat them rapidly to keep afloat.

The white-haired trainer watched as Chris ran a hand down his belt of pokéballs, giving each ball a gentle rub on the top, before picking one out from the line and enlarging it with a press of the button. Grinning, the boy hurled the red and white sphere toward the field with a loud, "Go, Gash!" The ball broke up a few seconds later, and what flipped out was almost scary to look at with his red, jagged fur pattern and sharp, black claws. His eyes, red with beady black pupils, were narrow and piercing, eyebrows furrowed together, and thin lips pursed tightly into a frown. Brendan recognized it as a zangoose, another ridiculously quick pokémon and another one of Chris' pokémon that wasn't fire-based but still able to learn fire-type moves.

"I have to admit, Brendan," Chris began, throwing Gash's pokéball in the air and catching it with a solid snatch, "your little maneuver with your lanturn was impressive."

Brendan's trademark smirk crept up to his lips. "Like you should expect any less."

"I try not to." Chris' smile grew as Brendan's faded. "Swords Dance, Gash!"

"Don't let 'em! Toxic, Emmy!" quickly countered Brendan.

As Gash raised and crossed his claws above his head, letting them grow in a bright light, Emmy zipped toward him, gleaming greens focused on her opponent. She opened her mouth, letting her tongue flop outside, drops of black poison dripping off it and flying backward against her flight. Like an airplane flying overhead and dropping packages, the vibrava spat out the acidic, black liquid on her foe below before heading back toward her side of the field. The fluid trickled down the beast's claws and into his eyes, but the zangoose didn't seem bothered by it, continuing to raise his claws toward the skies. A few more seconds ticked by before Gash swung his claws forward, spraying the black liquid to the side. The glow from Gash's claws died down, but the muscles in his arms and along his back seemed to intensify underneath his white fur.

Brendan blinked, puzzled. "He doesn't look poisoned."

"Your cute little Sandstorm and Toxic trick won't work here, Brendan," said Chris all-knowingly. "A zangoose's special ability is called Immunity. You see, a zangoose's rival is a seviper, and seviper's are known for their poisonous fangs, so I knew that–"

"Yeah, yeah," the white-haired trainer interrupted, rolling his eyes. "I got it."

Chris huffed. "So rude. Whatever. Flamethrower, Gash!"

"Fight back with Dragonbreath!"

The two creatures inhaled deeply, the zangoose puffing out his chest and the vibrava flapping her wings quicker, before simultaneously exhaling hot heat, Gash's in the form of bright, wild, orange fire, and Emmy's a slim, crackling jet of light green energy. The attacks collided above the pool of water in a brilliant burst of combustion, contrasting sharply with the blue skyline. Emmy seemed to have the upper hand–or wing, rather–while Gash seemed to be losing his footing on the slippery ground.

Brendan took advantage of the situation. "Knock him off his feet with Earthquake, then continue with your Dragonbreath!"

"Crush Claw on the ice to keep your ground, Gash!" ordered Chris vigorously.

The two pokémon immediately stopped their attacks, letting the energy from the two attacks spiral together before dissipating into the air. Dropping like a rock, Emmy, despite her thin, twig-like legs, stomped into the ground and beat her wings rapidly, causing the earth to vibrate and rattle below her. The zangoose was quick, though, and summoned his energy toward his claws, letting them glow for a bit before slamming his right claw into the ice and bending down a bit to get a firmer grip. Emmy flapped her wings harder, causing the ground to shake more violently, but Gash remained composed, showing off his left claw in a threatening, almost devious, way. Soon enough, Emmy's power exhausted, and the earth stopped shaking.

"Now use Crush Claw on the vibrava!" exclaimed Chris, pointing at his opponent.

Gash ripped his claw out of the ground, bringing up several huge chunks of ice with it, and hastened toward Brendan's side of the battlefield. Like the medicham before him, he jumped over the small pool of water with ease and managed to keep his footing once he landed, continuing his trek toward the vibrava.

"Hurry, Emmy! Fly up to dodge!" cried Brendan, eyes fixated on the zangoose.

Too late; Gash, his right claw once raised to the side of his head, swiped at Emmy before she could take flight, swinging his claw up. He then took his left claw, glowing in power like his other claw, and swung it down on Emmy's back, making the dragonfly crash into the ice with a nauseating snap. The vibrava wasn't out of the game, though she remained flat on her belly, staring at the zangoose's feet, green eyes wide as she caught her breath. There was stillness about her, something that Brendan found ... odd.

Too odd. In fact, he noticed that the judge was just about to call out Emmy despite her wide, open eyes, but a light engulfed her, reflecting off the ice, almost too blinding to look at. Through squinted eyes and a hand that partially blocked his vision, Brendan barely made out the shape of his vibrava as it shifted before his eyes, her petite form doubling in length. Her short tail made up of two, hard rhombus shapes grew into a long, thicker one, adorned with the same shape, but a third one joined the other two. Her wings, once thin, spread out into a thicker, wider span. Like the tail and wings before her, the antenna on Emmy's head increased as well, starting with a thick base at the head and eventually tapering out into two thin feelers. Once the light died down, Brendan could make out the color scheme of Emmy, still her infamous shade of green. The trainer turned his head slightly to the screen, noticing how all the cameras were panned down and focusing on his pokémon 's evolution. He noticed the look of bewilderment – almost fear, which was unusual for Emmy – underneath the red lenses that covered her eyes. She swished her tail back and forth across the ice, breaking a few smaller ice rocks on impact.

"Of course that happens." Chris rolled his eyes, his pokémon following suit. He crossed his arms, blowing up the bangs on his forehead. "It's just like you to have your pokémon evolve when you're about to lose, Brendan."

Brendan brushed off Chris' snide comment, staring at his newly evolved pokémon that still laid flat on her belly, small claws clutching at the icy ground and scraping it. She slowly pushed herself up, looking back and forth between her opponent and the audience that was wildly cheering from her evolution. She stamped her foot, causing the ice below to crack a bit, and flapped her wings, conjuring up a strong, whistling breeze, making the crowds scream louder.

"Amazing! Brendan's vibrava evolved into a flygon right in the midst of the battle! While I can't say that this hasn't happened before for other trainers, it's always an extraordinary sight to see!" declared the announcer excitedly, his voice barely heard over the shrieking crowd.

"Another part ground type to add to Brendan's fabulous tout ensemble!" exclaimed Gabby as well. "Including that infamous swampert of his, his ultra adorable vulpix, and his super tough lairon, it seems like Brendan is continuing to pay homage to his past!"

Amongst the cheering, May slowly sunk back down into her seek, covering her ears with the flat of her palms to block out the noise – or Gabby's commentary anyway. Her eyes, almost fearful, met Wally's mystified ones, and from her lips, he managed to read, "Let me know when it's over."

"Oh, come on, Gabby. Spill," chided Frank as the crowds let out another whoop when Brendan's flygon flapped her wings to make them whistle. "I can tell that you've been _dying _to tell us whatever you have to dish about Brendan. And I bet the audience wants to know, too. Isn't that right?"

The crowds responded with another loud roar.

Brendan, on the other hand, responded with a whimper, his eyes darting back and forth between the booth that contained the two announcers, the audience, and his opponent on the opposite side of the field. His eyes finally rested on Chris who, too, was staring at the booth, but he hadn't seem to piece together what Gabby was rambling on about. Maybe it was better off that way. Maybe if he didn't make a big deal out of it, it wouldn't be perceived as a big deal to anyone else. What was he going on about? Nothing has happened ... yet. No, nothing has happened, and nothing will. Or he'll act like nothing happened.

Dammit, it _really_ wasn't time to think about this now.

"Er ..." Chris scratched his head. "Gash, Flamethrower again!"

Brendan quickly snapped back into battle mode, forcing himself to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. "Dragonbreath and flap your wings to knock the Flamethrower off course!"

Like before, the two pokémon exhaled powerful bursts of flame and the two attacks collided in an intense blast of green and red. Despite Emmy's evolution, the two attacks seemed to be at the same amount of strength. Another loud whistling sounded as Emmy flapped her wings rapidly, creating a powerful gale that slowly pushed back the zangoose despite his valiant efforts to claw at the ground with his long arms. Emmy gave her wings another strong flap which finally pushed Gash and his Flamethrower off course, sending him hurtling across the ground. The Dragonbreath followed him, scorching the beast, his white fur charring into a crisp black. The flygon gave her wings a final beat, letting the wind whistle, before ending her attack. Gash was motionless, small spirals of gray smoke swirling up from his body.

"Zangoose is unable to battle!" verified the judge, raising Chris' flag as Gash's picture faded off the scoreboard. "Flygon wins!"

The white-haired trainer let out a sigh of relief as Chris returned his pokémon, watching as he whispered words of praise to it. Three to one. There was no way in hell that Chris had a chance now.

"This has been one hell of a battle!" declared the regular announcer. "The first half of the battle had Brendan at the disadvantage with three remaining pokémon against Chris' four. Yet Brendan, strategically – and possibly miraculously – managed to defeat three of Chris' pokémon without any of his fainting! How does he do it?"

"Luck," Wally muttered while May let out a giggle.

"So spill what you know, Gabby, while our trainers are preparing themselves for the next battle." Frank began to bother Gabby about what gossip she knew. "You know you want to ..."

"She better not ..." Brendan murmured as he watched his flygon point her head toward the skies, the red lenses that protected her eyes shining in the sunlight.

"Well," Gabby started, "Brendan, to say the least, has had an interesting journey. In fact, so much that it eventually got him in trouble with the court system at Sootopolis."

And there it was. Gabby never was good at keeping her mouth shut. There were awkward hushes followed by murmurs as the crowds pointed and stared that flushed cheeked, head lowered Brendan, his eyes fixated on his dirty sneakers. It was hot, but he could feel himself shivering, the hair on his forearms pricking up. It could have been worst, of course, but it was still embarrassing nonetheless, and it was pressure that he did not need to have.

"Rumor has it that Brendan had some ties in with the former organization known as Team Magma."

It just got worst.

There were more murmurs, like people were trying to hide that they were talking about him. They failed. His stomach was twisted into tight knots and his throat filled up a foul liquid, like he was ready to vomit, sickened by what Gabby just said. His eyes slowly crept up from the ground, to his pokémon, then toward the audience, noticing that all the cameras were panned on him and the audience was staring at him, not in admiration, but disarray, astonishment and ... anger?

Brendan finally looked at his friend across the field. The look on Chris' face was simple: Wide eyed, mouth agape, eyebrows raised. It was a look that said, "Oh shit."

"It's not sure what exactly what he did or if he was even part of Team Magma, but my sources tell me that he has battled with them. This eventually caught up to him in Sootopolis."

"Oh ... crap. She did not just ... oh, crap!" May was too shocked to be angry at Gabby this time, clinging tightly to Wally's arm.

"That's not going to help him battle," Wally replied awkwardly, not knowing what to say, wincing as May's grip on him tightened.

"Forget the battle, Wally!" May screeched. "She totally just outed one of Brendan's biggest secrets!"

The chubby man next to May peered at her through the top of his sunglasses. "Wait. Brendan was really part of Team Magma?" asked Scott, more inquisitive than demanding. A few people, overhearing his question, bent in to listen to May's response.

"No–yes–well, not really–it's horribly, horribly complicated," she blurted out in a rushed, incoherent sentence. "He really wasn't–he was tricked into it–he didn't want to after awhile but they wouldn't ..." She let out a dry sob as Wally wrapped an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "They wouldn't let him go ..."

Scott gave Wally another bewildered look, still seeking answers, and Wally shrugged.

"To be honest," the green-haired trainer began, rubbing May's upper arm as she sobbed in his embrace, "I know as much as you do about Brendan's 'past' or his ventures with Team Magma, and it really isn't my place to say anything about it even if I did. All I know now is that he isn't with them now–"

"Duh, because they disbanded," interrupted the man sitting in front of Wally that eavesdropped on his conversation.

Wally glared at him. "All I know is that he isn't with them now, and if he was with them previously, he was lied to and tricked about it. He proved it so, otherwise he wouldn't be here." His eyes, green eyes shiny but distant, focused on the field ahead as he continued to comfort May by rubbing her arm. "You really can't just sum up Brendan's situation with Team Magma like Gabby just did. It's more complex than that. And knowing Gabby, she probably won't do anything to fix it."

As much as Brendan wanted to crouch down, put his head between his knees and throw up, he fought the urge; it would only prove that Gabby was right. The best thing to do right now would to act, well, confused. Like he had no idea what she was babbling on about. He couldn't help his mouth open and gag in reflex to his throat tightening and bubbling up liquid, though, still sickened to his stomach. The murmurs started to get louder, the hisses irritating against his ears.

"That's a ... erm, interesting bit of gossip," replied Frank, noticing the mutters that were going on throughout the stadium. "It is, however, _gossip_. You cannot prove it. Remember that, folks. Gossip."

"Right," muttered Gabby. "Anyway, let's get back to the battle! What pokémon will Chris use as his final pokémon?"

Really? They expected him to battle after Gabby dropped a bomb like that? His facade, one that he hoped look like a cool, yet mildly amused trainer, did not match his insides, a churning, bubbling mess of nerves, sweat and vomit. He wasn't sure why he kept glancing at Chris as a source of comfort. He was his rival right now, not his friend, nor was he obligated to reassure him that things would be all right. All the same, the dark-haired trainer gave Brendan a small, firm nod and a determined smirk, a look that said, "It's no big deal. Just battle."

Chris pulled out his chain, unclipping the ball that was hanging from it and enlarged it, staring at it, his eyes reflecting in the ball's shine. Taking in a deep breath, Chris reeled his arm back and shouted, "It's up to you, Charcoal!" before releasing the ball from his grip. The ball spiraled, its colors blurring together, before splitting open, revealing a ball of white energy that formed into a thick, tall, and muscular beast. Two, curled wings spread out to its full length, perhaps bigger, than Emmy's, and his tail, also heavy, bore an orange flame on the tip. The beast roared, showing off sharp teeth, beating his claw against the callous hide of his stomach. It was Chris' charizard, a veteran on Chris' team, and a tough one at that.

"Chris has chosen his charizard while Brendan seems to be sticking to his flygon! A dragon versus dragon battle! Should be extreme!" declared the announcer.

"Take to the air, Charcoal!" ordered Chris. His eyes glanced at Brendan, noticing his nervous stature despite the forced smirk on his face, and he gave a worried sigh.

To be truthful, Brendan couldn't think coherently let alone battle properly. His mind was spinning over what just happened, despite that what actually happened may not have happened – at least in the eyes of the audience. The announcer was right; it was just rumors in the audience's perspective. They still knew nothing despite that twit Gabby blabbering about it.

But still ...

Nevertheless, he had to get it together, and came up with the first move that he could think of. "You, too, Emmy! Fly to his level!"

With a mighty flap of his wings, the charizard took to the skies, beating them a few times to keep in the air. He let out another roar and glared at his opponent who still remained on the ground. Determined to wipe that cocky smirk off her opponent's face, the flygon took a few running steps before jumping, rapidly flapping her wings. Try all she might, Emmy couldn't take off the ground and fell on her belly with a loud thud. She groggily got back up, the air whistling with each beat of her wing, staring at Charcoal who tauntingly flew circles above her head.

"What happened? Why can't she fly?" asked May, still huddled in Wally's embrace. She wiped at her eyes, still shaken up about what happened to Brendan.

"From the looks of it, Emmy tried to mimic the way she used to fly as a vibrava. Vibrava have to beat their wings more rapidly to fly since their wings are so small. That also explains the vibration noise that comes out of a vibrava's wings." Wally noticed the dull look that May gave him and started to explain himself more quickly. "Since Emmy didn't have time to practice flying as a flygon, being that it evolved in battle, she tried to fly the only way she knew how: beating her wings quickly. She couldn't really do that with bigger wings, though, hence falling on her face. She doesn't get that she doesn't need to rapidly beat her wings to stay afloat since her wing span is bigger."

"So what? She's doomed?"

"Well, not doomed, but I doubt she'll be able to learn how to fly, at least to Chris' charizard's extent, at this moment in the time."

Brendan was drowning in the noise of the audience, unfocused on the battle. He could still hear their whispers, their hissing – even if they weren't doing it anymore. He also heard laughter; were people actually laughing at Emmy's inability to fly? That made him angry. "Emmy, Dragonbreath!" he shouted, shaking.

"Knock it off course with Dragon Rage!" countered Chris.

Out of Emmy's mouth was the same, green jet of powerful energy that rocketed toward the airborne Charcoal. The charizard wasn't alarmed, though, as he bent his head down, the same green energy building in his closed jaws. With a mighty thrust of his head and an angry snarl, Charcoal released the ball from his mouth, letting it spiral toward the dragonfire heading in his direction. The ball immediately split Emmy's Dragonbreath into two smaller beams that missed Charcoal, continuing its path of destruction toward the unprepared flygon on the floor. Emmy took the attack to the chest, trying her best to push the ball away with her small, stubby claws, but the Dragon Rage was too much for her, burying itself deeper into her chest and pushing her backward. The flygon eventually lost her footing on the sleek ice and toppled over, pounded relentlessly by the charizard's fierce attack before it disintegrated into thin air. Dazed, Emmy did her best to regain composure and managed to get onto her feet only to fall back down.

"Flygon is unable to battle! Charizard wins!" declared the judge, raising Brendan's flag.

The crowds went into an uproar, screaming Chris' name as Brendan returned his pokémon, thanking it for a job well done.

"This battle ain't over yet, folks!" shouted Gabby, unaware of the damage that she did to Brendan's spirit. "Chris' charizard is one hell of a beast to defeat!"

"How did Emmy get defeated so quickly?" asked May to no one in particular, her eyes focusing on the scoreboard.

"Experience, of course. Chris' charizard is one of Chris' first pokémon if I remember reading right. Emmy, on the other hand, is still a new addition to Brendan's team. Perhaps a little more experienced than we thought considering how she evolved, but I suppose that was her downfall, too."

"How?"

"Well, evolution takes a lot out of you, even if you grow into a stronger state, I figure," added in Scott. "Emmy is part dragon, too, so that dragon-type attack was devastating for her. I wouldn't call Brendan out just yet, considering he has two water types compared to Chris' one fire type."

"To be honest, I'm not sure if that was exactly the case. Brendan could have done something other than take the attack head on like that, even if Emmy can't fly." Wally's eyes casted worriedly from the scoreboard to Brendan who was nervously fumbling with the pokéballs on his belt. "He's really shaken up. I can tell. That little bit of information that Gabby spewed really messed with his head."

"Good!" someone from behind Wally and May exclaimed. "That Team Magma scum better lose!"

May quickly snapped her head to glower at the stranger, her eyes filled with fury. "He's not a Team Magma member! You know absolutely nothing about his situation!"

The stranger merely waved off May's comment with a motion of his hand. "Whatever."

Deciding it was best if Muddy could get a few more moments of rest, Brendan decided to reuse his lanturn, throwing her ball toward the field. The ball skid along the ice and into the pool of water, causing the creature within to break free. Sapphire swam underwater for a seconds before emerging, looking up to get a glance at her opponent. She let out a small squeak once she realized who it was, her beacon trembling before her eyes.

There was the murmuring again. There were barely, if any, cheers when he released Sapphire again, even though the crowds went crazy the last few times he had to release a new pokémon. What was the difference now?

Oh, right. Stupid Gabby.

An overwhelming feeling of nostalgia hit him suddenly. The first time Brendan battled Chris, the crowds were divided, cheering whoever was winning. The crowds seemed to favor Brendan more at the start of the battle ... Now all they did was mutter and point and stare. He couldn't lose focus, though. There were more important things to worry about, like his battle. The audience knew nothing, and neither did Gabby. That shouldn't effect him at all.

Then he heard it. They probably were yelling it all this time, but it was hard to hear specific sentences amongst the rumblings of the crowd. This one, however, rung clear as a bell:

"Get that Magma scum off the field!"

His heart skipped a beat at that and frantic eyes darted across the audience, trying to find the source of who screamed such a horrifying sentence. But that was the thing; it really could have been anyone, and maybe that was the most troubling of it all. This wasn't just one person that felt that way. The entire audience, for all he knew, could feel the same. The same, unbearable lump of fear built in his throat, and he found it more and more difficult to swallow.

"S-Sapphire," he said hoarsely, his tongue dry. "Hydro Pump!"

Sapphire puffed up and blew out a powerful jet of water that skyrocketed toward Charcoal.

"Use Wing Attack to slow it down!" retaliated Chris, one eye warily staring at Brendan.

As the jet of water came close, Charcoal beat his wings viciously, conjuring up a small but powerful gale. The water that zoomed toward him slowed down, and while it hit him in the stomach and caused the beast to roar crossly, the attack wasn't as powerful as Brendan would have wanted.

Wally shook his head. "He's totally losing it. He should have known better, especially seeing how Chris retaliates in battle for so long."

May was too preoccupied with another group of people a few feet away. They were on their feet and booing, occasionally screaming, "Get off the field!"

"I can't imagine why," she murmured sarcastically.

"For latios' sake, Brendan. This isn't how I wanted to battle." Chris, too, noticed the crowds taunting and how it was affecting the white-haired trainer across the field. Awkward stature, shoulders tense, eyes glazed – Brendan was more into his thoughts instead of the battle. He glanced up, watching his charizard beat his wings to stay in the skies. "Get your head in the game. Forget them."

Chris' words went unheard as swarms of thoughts continued to race through Brendan's head. Was this how it was going to be? Would all he worked for – his badges, his pokémon, his status as a trainer–no, a human being – go to waste in a matter of five minutes? Over a statement, a rumor, that a gossiping newscaster couldn't prove yet people still seemed to believe anyway?

Frustrated, Chris muttered, "God, fine. I'll attack. Charcoal, Flamethrower!"

The beast let out a tremendous roar before opening his mouth, releasing a steady stream of fire that spiraled downward toward the pool of water, engulfing the lanturn in massive heat. Sapphire let out a loud cry from the attack. Despite being a water type, the attack was still powerful and effective.

Now if Brendan were in a regular state, he would have easily retaliated back with a simple maneuver, such as commanding Sapphire to dive underwater or to fight the fire with Hydro Pump. But all he could do was stare at the fire, entranced, gasping for breath like he had just run a marathon. He was at a loss for words.

"Do something, Brendan!" Wally said through gritted teeth.

"That's right! You better lose, Magma scum!" shouted an observer in front of Wally and May.

"Why don't you shut the hell up!" screamed May, her hands clenching into fists, unable to take the backlash Brendan was getting anymore.

"Why don't you make me?" the observer coolly replied. "Why are you standing up for Magma scum anyway? Don't you realize what that team tried to do? Hundreds of wild water types had to be hospitalized due to what that ... that team tried to do?"

"You can't prove he was part of Team Magma, or that he was involved with that incident," May remarked in the same cold tone, eyes narrowing into slits.

Charcoal relinquished his attack, letting the flames extinguish in a dance of tiny embers. Sapphire's eyes were shut tight, too engrossed in pain to focus on the outside world. She bobbed up and down gently in the cold water, trying her best to bathe herself in it to cool down her wounds.

"Ahh ... uh ..." Brendan's hands searched his body for something to toy around with to get his frustrations out, finally settling on his left ear by tugging it hard and repeatedly. The constant insults thrown at him were really taking its toll. It really felt like he was a rookie trainer again, not knowing much except the bare, bare basics of battle. "Try Hydro Pump again ...?" he commented in more of a questionable state rather than a demanding one.

Sapphire let out a few choking coughs, spitting out a mixture of a saliva and phlegm into the water before puffing out her cheeks, trying to build up energy. The most she could do was a small squirt that arched, barely reaching outside the pool of water let alone the charizard up above. Brendan's new attitude, a fearful yet dazed one, was taking its toll on the lanturn who responded greatly to her trainer's attitude in battle.

Chris shook his head and sighed. "Finish her off! Dragon Rage!"

Blowing out smoke from his flaring nostrils, the charizard gave his wings a mighty flap as he pointed his head down toward the lanturn below, green energy snapping between the gaps of his sharp teeth. He released the crackling, green ball of dragon fire, and the ball burst into a powerful combustion of snapping energy and green flame. The smoke itself was too overwhelming for Sapphire to obey with little room for her to gasp for air, and the dragon fire, unlike Charcoal's Flamethrower before, was painful, to say the least. She let out an agonizing scream that bolted Brendan out of his dazed-like persona for a second, but it was too late for Brendan to do anything about it. Charcoal ended his attack, leaving behind a lanturn floating on her back, X's in her eyes.

"Lanturn is unable to battle!" declared the judge as Sapphire's picture faded off screen. "Charizard wins!"

"Our battle is now at a tie!" exclaimed Frank. "We all know that Brendan's last pokémon is his swampert, who is not only his starter, but his team's powerhouse! This battle could go either way!"

Brendan returned his lanturn and stared at her ball, shaking. "I'm so sorry, Sapphire," he murmured, not taking his eyes off the ball. The sudden urge to vomit came up again, but it was more about his defeat and the sheer scream of terror that Sapphire produced that got him, not the crowds. "I really am ..." He gave the ball a final, sympathetic, teary-eyed look before clipping it back on his belt, exchanging it for Muddy's. He, too, stared at it. His faithful starter was inside, a creature who stood by him through thick and thin, through all the drama, through all his stupidity, through the mundane of travel, through ... well, about everything. Muddy had plenty of chances to turn his back on him, and within good reason, but he never did. He couldn't just let him–or the rest of his team–down like that, especially for all that they did for him. He couldn't give up over a bunch of stupid people that wouldn't matter a few weeks from now anyway.

The boos started again. Louder ones, too. They mixed in with the murmurs. They weren't the regular boos that started up when a trainer took too long to pick a pokémon. They were aimed at him. He was assaulted verbally from all directions.

Magma scum.

You don't deserve to win.

Get off the field for a real trainer.

Eff you and what you did.

The sheer amount of it all – the boos, the insults, his past – was just too much for him too handle, and the wide space of the stadium seemed to close in on him. Panic spread through his veins. His heart somehow pushed its way up to his throat, and he was choking on it. He had to get the hell out of there, and fast.

Still gripping Muddy's ball tightly in his right fist, Brendan ran toward the stadium doors and pulled on the heavy metal doors, taking note of the wild cheers that exploded once he left the field. What once was the long walk down the hallway seemed be shortened as he ran down, shoes slapping on the cold concrete flooring, and he pushed the second set of metal doors open, escaping the jail cell that was disguised as a pokémon stadium. He let out a gasp of relief before he let the tears fall, ignoring the random passerby that stared at him.

Meanwhile, the applause that burst forth when Brendan left the stadium died down to more hush whispering. Chris, who still remained on his side of the battlefield, stared at the metal doors that Brendan had run through, wondering if the white-haired trainer was going to reveal himself.

"We understand that the ... pressure of being in the top twelve is hard for some trainers," began Frank over the sounds of the muttering audience. "We will give Brendan a couple of minutes to regain composure. If he doesn't return to the field within five minutes, Chris will automatically go to the next round and will place in the top six of the Hoenn League!"

There was chanting of his name, but Chris ignored it, well knowing that half of the stadium was on Brendan's side before the ... unfortunate happened. Through the side of his eye, he noticed his charizard slowly descend toward the earth, landing with a heavy thump, and the beast turned his head, gazing worriedly at his trainer. Chris responded to his pokémon 's stare with a shrug, pocketing his hands inside his pockets and scuffing the ground with the ball of his foot.

It truly was unfair, and he knew it, too. Everything about this battle was unfair. Gabby had no right to gossip. The audience had no right to bring down a trainer's morale and judge him for something that really had nothing to do with his battle skill. There was a strong bias, and a horrible one at that, considering that Chris was in the same shoes as Brendan, but Gabby just loved picking on Brendan for months now, ever since she first reported on him. And now he might win just because Brendan had a panic attack? Eff that.

"Four minutes!" said Gabby cheerfully.

Eff her, too.

Giving his charizard a small nod, Chris began to tread around the ice field, his hands still inside the folds of his pockets. He kicked up dirt along his path, whistling softly to himself, astonishing the crowds as they stared at him. He acted as if he was strolling along in the park instead of being in one of the most intense situations of his life. Everyone watched as he made his way toward the metal doors that Brendan had previously crossed. Before he pulled them out, he turned around a bit, gave the cameras that panned on him a warm smile before pulling his right hand out of his pocket and producing the middle finger.

"Maybe next time you all won't be assholes and treat a trainer like crap," he muttered before he turned around, pulled on the metal bars of the doors and exited.

The audience, including Wally, May, and Scott, gasped at this, stirring up more conversation within the crowds.

"Chris has got to be the coolest kid I know," murmured Wally, wide-eyed, causing May to stare at him.

Before he knew it, Chris found himself outside the stadium, still able to hear the audience that he had left behind. Up ahead, he noticed the black and green color scheme of Brendan's clothes, and he walked toward him, noticing that the white-haired trainer had his head hunched down, his hands covering his face.

With a shrug, Chris nonchalantly walked over to Brendan and stood next to him, his eyes focused on the stores up ahead. "My god, Brendan," he muttered. "You're seriously not crying, are you? You always were such a girl."

"Shut up." Brendan quickly wiped at his eyes, avoiding Chris' eye contact, sniffling. His hands, rubbing at his eyes, ran up to his hair, embedding themselves with the soft strands, and they remained there as he pointed his head up, blinded by the sunlight. There was a beep from his pokénav, but he ignored it. "They've been calling me. They want me to get back there before I get disqualified."

"I figure." Chris nodded his head a few times, rubbing his lips together. His pokénav beeped soon after Brendan's did, and he gave it a small tap. "There goes mine."

There was silence for a bit until Brendan meekly asked, "So are you going to answer it?"

"What? My pokénav?"

"Yeah ..."

"Only if you do."

Brendan quickly shook his head. "I can't battle, Chris! Not now! Everyone in there hates me!"

"Not everyone. Wally started to semi-like you, didn't he?"

Brendan simply choked out another sob, more tears welling up in his eyes. "I feel so ... so ..."

"Pathetic?" Chris answered for him after a few seconds of silence. "You are. But that's okay."

He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "Remember how you told me on my very first day of battles on how being here would sum up my entire journey as a trainer?" Brendan questioned.

Chris was about to respond, but he was interrupted. "Two minutes before both trainers in pokémon stadium B will be disqualified!" boomed the announcer's voice over the speaker system.

"I actually said your entire year as a trainer, but yeah. I remember."

"Is this how everyone is going to remember me? As Magma scum? Someone who isn't fitting to be a pokémon trainer?"

"Only if you let them." Chris pulled out his pokénav, stared at the buzzing screen, before repocketing it. "You and I both know that we're much more than that. As does May and Wally, and everyone else that matters. You shouldn't get so caught up in what people think, Brendan, especially people you don't know. They'll forget in less than a week I bet, and everything will be back to normal."

Brendan swallowed another lump that formed in his throat. "I ... I guess." He turned his head in the direction of the stadium and gave it a slight nod. "Shouldn't you ... um ... shouldn't you go back in there before you get disqualified?"

"Not without you. I'm not winning like that. I'm kicking your ass fair and square."

"One minute!" cried the announcer over the speakers. Brendan and Chris could hear the audience in the stadium get more riled up.

"I can't, Chris ... I get so ... so choked up when I hear the audience."

"I know, B Boy." Chris put his hands behind his head and looked up, admiring the deep blue sky. Sunlight twinkled in the reddish-brown hue of his eyes. He whistled to himself as Brendan stood next to him awkwardly, shifting his weight between his feet. The two stood in silence, watching people walk up and down the cobblestone street, entering and exiting the colorful shops that were dotted along Evergrande's city walk.

The bell sounded. Both of them were disqualified.


	65. To the Top

This chapter was ... hard to write. Not because I got all weepy eye knowing that it's over (I'm in fact ecstatic), but I wanted it to end on a non corny, non mushy, non lame note but still sum up everything anyway. My original idea was to have everyone reminisce and be all sweet and whatnot on the bike ride home and it'd be the lamest, safest thing ever, but I hope what I went with is a much, much better idea. =P

Soooo enjoy!

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**To the Top**

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**

"On the very top floor of that building, members of the Hoenn League committee are debating whether or not to disqualify two of the best trainers that I know," May said quietly. She looked up thoughtfully toward the building in front of her. It was four stories high, windows gleaming in the sunlight, with decorations of swirls and curls engraved into its steel-stained walls. It was almost blinding to look at, yet the girl stared at it, eyes burning, the intense heat of the sunlight engulfing her like a blanket. She didn't seem to mind, fists clenched tightly at her side, the soft breeze pushing strands of brown hair behind her shoulders.

"... Yeah," murmured a voice next to her.

She snapped her head down and glared at the green-haired boy next to her. "You could have more sympathy for what's happening to the two of them!"

Wally brushed off her comment, fiddling with the pokéballs clipped to his belt. "May, I'm in the preliminaries – the top six for crying out loud, and my battle is in–" he pulled out his pokénav from his pocket, "–roughly thirty minutes. The fact that I'm here and not curled up in fetal position in the hotel room is proof that I care."

May merely snorted, staring at the building again.

"And let's be honest with the situation at hand, May," Wally added. He shoved his hands inside the pockets of his khakis and looked up as well, staring at the blue Hoenn sky instead of the building. "Brendan was not forced to leave the stadium. Sure, harsh words were said to him, but _all_ the top twelve finalists got flak. I'm expecting more of it at my battle."

"Gabby was just cruel," she argued. "You know how Gabby is. She should have never been a guest announcer; she had dirt all the finalists. Brendan, unfortunately, was paired up with her. If not Brendan, then some other kid."

"Right." Wally blinked a few times, though he wasn't sure if it was from the sunlight or May's denial. "But, again, he was not forced to leave. Neither was Chris. As noble as he was for leaving because of the circumstance, that doesn't save him from the consequences of leaving the stadium. They gave them time to come back, they didn't come back in the time alloted, and that is that. You also don't know if another trainer would have been under so much pressure and embarrassment from Gabby's comments that he would have left his battle."

"So what are you saying?" the girl demanded. "That it was not unfair about what happened to Brendan?"

"I'm not saying that at all." He raised his hands up. "Gabby was wrong, too, and there should be a line between gossip and personal life; however, as you know, that line is blurred when it comes to people like Gabby. I know I'm repeating myself, but Brendan did not have to leave. It's fact. Unfortunate fact, but fact."

"I don't like it." May crossed her arms and pouted. "Complete elimination over something like that ..."

"Yeah, well ... What can we do?"

"Something! Come on, Wally! We can't just stand here! We've got to ... I don't know! We just got to show that we still care."

"But ... how?"

* * *

On the very top floor of the very tall building was an office. It was a big office with windows as wide as they were tall, starting from the floor and ending at the ceiling. They were clean, no streaks across its smooth surface, and revealed the world before Brendan's wide, red eyes. Evergrande was below him, and the people on the streets were tiny, almost ant-like, bustling across the cobblestone pavement, making their way to various destinations: the stadiums, the hotel, the shopping street. None stopped before the building and stared at it – none he could see, anyway. He saw his reflection: he looked scared, nervous, and downright ashamed. Paler, too, like he were sick.

Here Brendan stood, after–humiliatingly–running away from his battle like a puppy with its tail between its legs the day before. Behind him were a group of members from the Hoenn League council, discussing his disqualification. If this were a "normal" situation, Brendan would be sitting in one of those plush, black leather chairs, hands gripping the plastic armrests, and staring the council in the eyes, perhaps more out of show than seriousness. He would be the one filtering through the paperwork that slid around the polished mahogany table. He would argue like his life were on the line. But no. He was pushed to the side like some ... like some child who couldn't handle the situation. His dad just had to come–out of all the positions Brendan had gotten himself into–and rescue his ass. It's not that he minded his dad coming as he was sure the young professor could handle it and, dare he pray, make things better for him, but he could have handled himself just fine.

"So what you're telling me," began Professor Birch, leaning back in his chair, making the springs creak, "is that you asked a newscaster – no, I can't even say that; you need a degree in journalism or something to become one, don't you? You lot hired–no, asked–a host on an entertainment show who, might I add, has no expertise in any field of pokémon other than basic trainer, to be a guest announcer for the finals of one of the most important competitions in Hoenn? Where was the thought process in this?"

"Professor, you know as well as I do that we pick our guest announcers based on their popularity – on who they can attract," murmured the president who sat at the head of the table. "It's all about gaining viewership. Announcing is very different from judging; we pick only the most qualified trainers, many who have been training for decades, to be judges. The job of an announcer is to reaffirm to the viewers about what is happening. Judges, on the other hand, are the ones that make the calls."

"I don't need a vocabulary lesson; I know the difference between the two," snapped Professor Birch, drumming his fingers on the table. He pulled off his white lab coat (Brendan actually found it odd that he wore it here) and draped it across the back of his chair. "Nor is that really the point. There needs to be a sort of professionalism in not only your choices for judges, but for your announcers as well. The Hoenn League has been a joke lately, used more as a profiting tool than a factor to determine the skills of a trainer. It is clear from your list of guest announcers – and your main ones, too."

"Compared to other leagues, there is no difference," argued another member of the council who sat two seats down from Brendan's dad. "All the other leagues request guest announcers who do not necessarily specialize in some field of pokémon. All leagues hold a honored tradition. Hoenn's tradition is to rile up our top twelve finalists. Some take it a little more seriously than others."

"Honored tradition?" scoffed the professor. "What is so 'honorable' about proclaiming that my son was a former Team Magma member, something that no one here has evidence to prove? Gabby destroyed his confidence and turned the entire stadium against him with rumors which, again, no one here can prove. And even if they were true–which I know they are not–that still has absolutely nothing to do with his ability as a trainer, so it did not have to be brought up nor should it be a factor in determining proper punishment."

The sound of shuffling paper sounded throughout Brendan's ear as he continued to stare out the window. The weather was beautiful (he noted that the weather was usually ironic to how he was feeling ever since he started his journey), the skies cloudless and, despite the air being dry, just a wonderful day to be outside. Yet he was stuck in here, arguing–well, he should be arguing, but his dad pushed him out of his seat and took over. He scuffed his foot against the rough carpeting in frustration.

Chris, who had retained his seat at the table by throwing a pissy fit, looked at the back of Brendan before turning his head toward the rest of the council. "Shouldn't Brendan, um, you know ... be part of this?"

The crinkling sound of leather shifting and chairs creaking caught Brendan's attention, and the boy turned away from the window, staring at the table where six pairs of eyes stared back. The ceiling fans generated a breeze that blew his bangs around his forehead. Underneath the large sleeves of his t-shirt, he felt goosebumps prick up against his lightly-tanned arms. Nerves? Or was he cold?

"How did you feel, Brendan?" asked his dad, staring at him sternly, reminding Brendan of his younger days where where he was scolded for doing something wrong.

"Um ..." Like a nervous child, Brendan clasped his hands behind his back, avoided eye contact by staring at the floor, and shifted his weight between his feet. "When? Now?"

"No. During your battle. You were the only that was affected by Gabby's comments after all."

This is where things got tricky. Professor Birch did not know about Brendan's ties with Team Magma, and eff that noise if he had to tell him now, if at all. The Sootopolis court system made sure to cover their trails and make sure Brendan's identity was not reveal in public newspapers due to his status as a juvenile, and the court papers were locked up tightly. So it was really by word-of-mouth that Gabby got her story about Brendan's past – a rumor albeit only a true one to Brendan and his friends. Here, in front of the Hoenn League council, was not the place to tell the truth. Hell, this was a secret he might just take to his grave.

Now, truthfully, Brendan was downright shocked that Gabby knew about his past. He couldn't say that, though; it'd make things too suspicious in his case. Surprised? Amused? Scared? All of the above? "I don't know," he finally murmured. "I guess I was ... just ... put off guard. Like, how do you respond to a comment like that? I mean, you can't just scream that crowds, 'That's not true!'; they probably wouldn't have believed me. Then, you know, the boos, and ... well, here we are."

"While the situation was unfortunate," the president paused as Professor Birch snorted, "the rules still stand; if you leave the stadium outside the alloted time given, then you're disqualified from the competition. That's that."

"The circumstances were different compared to different situations." Brendan stepped closer to the table and stood in between Chris' and Professor Birch's chairs. He pressed his hands on the table, smudging its glossy finish, and leaned his weight onto them. "Wasn't that rule established so that people wouldn't arrive late for their battles, hence pushing back the time of other battles?"

"Yes, but it also insures that these battles, while they have no time limit, finish within the time gap we give them." The president stared down Brendan from the other end of the table, making him gulp. He strung his fingers together, leaned back in his chair, and rested his chin on laced fingers. He wasn't an intimidating man: balding, pale, and rather scrawny. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge on his nose. Brendan knew he was powerful, but he couldn't help but wonder if this man had been a trainer before. "Pressure, Brendan, is something that trainers must know how to handle. The reason why most trainers don't make it to the top twelve is because the pressure gets to them so much that it messes with their technique."

"It was out of the ordinary," muttered Brendan, eye twitching.

"Ordinary or not ordinary, you still need to learn how to remain under pressure. Again, I understand that the circumstances were different, but that really is no excuse. People boo. People cheer. You have to learn how to work under both. I still stand by my decision to disqualify you and your opponent from the entire competition."

The absurdness–the pure, unadulterated "what the crap?"–that came out of the president's mouth astonished Brendan to the point that all he could do was stare, mouth hanging open.

Professor Birch took over. "We get it, Jonathan, and I agree. These two boys broke Hoenn League violations and did not return within the alloted time given. You can't change that, and it would not be fair to other trainers to give them a second chance. However, what you're trying to motion is disqualifying both these boys from _entire_ competition. Breaking a time limit rule just disqualifies the trainer from furthering in the competition but allows them to keep their rank, in this case, a top twelve placement. A trainer, according to the manual co-written by you, is only disqualified from the tournament if he cheats in any form, does not have a valid trainer's I.D., and etcetera. The circumstance does not match the punishment."

"I swear to latios I said that earlier," murmured Chris, crossing his arms, rolling his eyes.

"So what are you proposing, Professor? That we allow these two to continue through the competition?" replied the president, raising an eyebrow. "That's ludicrous!"

This time, both father and son made the same look of complete "what the heck?"-ery. "No. I'm asking not to disqualify these two from the top twelve – the positions that these two have earned and what _would_ have been the consequence had it been in ordinary circumstance, like a trainer arriving late for his battle_. _I'm not asking permission to allow them to continue to compete. _Again_," Brendan noted that his father put stress on the word, "the two broke the rules and should be punished accordingly for it. Disqualification isn't the proper punishment, and neither is retaining their title of being in the top twelve. Brushing off the work these two did after months and months of training because of a time limit rule is just cruel. Disallowing them from competing further for a higher position, however, is a proper punishment, a punishment that is written clearly in the Hoenn League Manuel."

"Right," Chris agreed. "I myself understood the penalties for leaving the field, and I'm willing to accept reasonable ones."

The president rubbed his temples. "My council and I–and Professor Birch, I suppose–need to discuss this further," he said, looking down the table where Brendan and Chris resided. "Will you two step out of the chamber? We will call you back in when we come to an agreement on a proper punishment."

Brendan stepped away from the table as Chris wheeled back his chair and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. Brendan lead the way to the heavy wooden doors, pushing all his weight against the steel bar to escape the confines of the office. Rough, red carpet turned into cool linoleum as the two tread down the narrow hallway toward the waiting room.

The strange thing about Chris, Brendan noticed, was his ability to remain cool under everything. He supposed his friend picked up this trait back in his first defeat at the Johto League – or perhaps over the grueling months of being in Team Magma. It was something, for sure, that Brendan had not experienced. He looked toward him: black hair was spiked up as always, and eyes, a deeper reddish-brown than Brendan's own, were wide, but not out of fear but because he was, plainly, awake. Unlike Brendan who barely managed to throw on his same wrinkly trainer clothes, Chris ironed a button up polo, legs walking in stiff, denim jeans. He cleaned up well, Brendan admitted, despite a restless night of tossing and turning.

"Cheer up," Chris said, pushing opening the waiting room where rows of armchairs rested. He motioned to the two closest ones and plopped into one, sinking into it. He draped his arms across the wooden armrests and leaned his head back, staring at the circulating ceiling fans. "It ... it could be worst."

Brendan snorted, taking the seat next to him.

"I'm serious. It's lucky your dad came here; he really helped. I don't think my voice would have been heard without him."

"We could have handled ourselves just fine without him. Besides, he didn't need to do that over-dramatic, 'burst through the doors' thing that he did."

"I'm sure. You were doing so well with your mumbling and leg shifting."

"I was nervous!" Brendan exclaimed with a cracked voice. He adjusted the collar around his neck and coughed to clear his throat.

Chris laughed a little and shrugged, sliding down further in his chair, tapping a sneaker against the carpet. "Just don't worry about it, Brendan. Even if they do disqualify us from the entire league, well, there's always next year or another region. It'll suck, sure, as we'll miss all the festivities but ... eh. You take whatever wins you can get."

Chris' coolness wasn't the only thing that bewildered Brendan, and he just had to ask. "Why ... why are you not mad at me?"

His friend closed his eyes, yawning. "Should I be?"

"I mean, if it weren't for me–"

"Brendan, it was my choice to leave. Don't flatter yourself – I didn't leave for you. I left for me. I didn't want to win like that."

"But think about it." Brendan sat up, shoulders stiff, looking at Chris who still had his eyes closed. "If you were battling someone else – someone else who didn't run away – then you wouldn't have had to leave, and you wouldn't–"

"That was always your problem, Brendan." Eyes snapped open and glared at Brendan, startling him. Chris' fingers wrapped tightly around the edges of the armrests. "It still is. That was your problem when I first told you about the truth behind Team Magma, that was your problem with May when she was with Wally, and that is your problem now. Always the whiny 'if, if, if!' What if this happened? What if that happened? I don't know, Brendan! I don't know what would have happened if I was battling another trainer yesterday, or if Gabby wasn't the announcer, or if you didn't _chicken_ out–" it was Brendan's time to glare, "–and leave. And ... and crap! I don't care! There's nothing you can do about it! What's done is done! Get the hell over it! It's just so – I don't think I ever – goddammit, Brendan!"

Maybe Chris did have his problems. Maybe all his anger – all the negative emotion he kept inside – bottled up until it exploded into an incoherent stream of words.

Chris caught his breath, shuddering. "For latios' sake," he managed to get out. "Quit it."

"I was just wondering," murmured Brendan, still sitting on the edge of his seat. He ripped his eyes away from Chris to observe the waiting room. It mimicked the conference room the two were previous in: rough, red carpet and tall, spotless windows that revealed the outside world before him. Chairs covered in a mixed cotton and polyester blend were grouped in fours surrounding a mahogany coffee table, each table adorned with a vase of flowers. "I can't help it."

"Right," Chris replied stiffly.

"I've ... I've done a lot of stupid things throughout my journey that I wonder about almost everyday, Chris. Not even big things, like joining Team Magma, or quitting my league battle. All the small things, too. What kind of trainer would be I be if I didn't have a rival like Wally? Would I still be the same person I am today if I didn't travel with May? And you. What would have happened if I never met you? Would I still believe that Team Magma's cause was just? Would I still be with Team Magma? Would Team Magma still exist if I hadn't met you?"

"Sweet latios. The world just revolves around you, doesn't it?" Chris' eyes swept up toward the ceiling fans, drying the light sweat that formed on his brow. He grabbed at the bottom of his black button-up and pulled it down, ridding it of the wrinkles that formed from his slouch. "You're a piece of work lemme tell you. Crap happens. You have to accept it otherwise you'll never be happy."

"I don't want to accept it. I want to make things right."

"Well, you're doing a hell of a job at it." Chris sighed and laced his fingers together, resting his enclosed palms on his stomach. "Listen, Brendan. Like I said, you can't do anything about it now. You accept it, you deal with it, and you live with it. Denying it – trying to find another reasoning, another source to blame – just isn't going to work. The truth shouldn't be hidden."

There was silence, more out of thoughtfulness than awkwardness. "You know, I've been told that before," Brendan said. "Muddy told me that, actually, right after I tied my old bandanna around his tail."

"Your swampert isn't as stupid as he makes himself out to look."

"It was near Fortree," Brendan reminisced, sunlight reflecting in his eyes, "and we were on the bridge. He just got out of the care unit in the pokémon center, and that's where I tied the bandanna around his tail. I did it so no one would notice his cut. I think that's what I said when he asked; I don't remember. He said it so nonchalantly: 'The truth shouldn't be hidden' or something like that. Or we shouldn't hide the truth. I'm not even sure if he knew what he meant. It was so long ago, and sometimes I try to figure out what it means today. I mean, it sounds simple enough, doesn't it?" He stared out the window. "I've done stupid things," he muttered again.

"Forgive yourself. Accept it."

"I don't think I can."

"Then thus we sit. Until then, I don't think you'll ever be okay with yourself and what you did."

Brendan finally relaxed, his shoulders slouching, and reclined into the chair, sinking into the cushions. Chris closed his eyes again, lips partially open.

"I'm trying, Chris."

"Keep trying then."

* * *

"Why are you so adamant against about my request? Everyone in this room has agreed to readmit Brendan and Chris' positions in the top twelve except you," said Professor Birch, eyes traveling down the table toward the president. It really was yin and yang. The president was scrawny while Professor Birch was buff, though a little chubby around the belly. The professor was furious, eyes narrowed, while the president relaxed into his chair, a slight smirk on his face. Hell, even their clothes: Professor Birch's dark blue shirt was stained with dried mud while the president wore a pristine suit complete with red tie.

"It's the entire thing, Birch." Fingers went to temples and rubbed them in small, circular motions. "Can you imagine the outburst that would result if I gave Brendan back his title? There would be public outrage!"

"Public outrage that shouldn't have happened if you didn't have such a mediocre entertainment host as a guest announcer," muttered Professor Birch, sliding a manila folder across the sleek tabletop. He leaned back, the leather chair groaning. "And either way, there's going to be public scrutiny. Listen, we can deal with this two ways. You can give Brendan and Chris their titles and we can forget this entire situation happen. Or you can disqualify them and rid them of their title; but I guarantee you I will fight this and I will bring negative attention to your council, and let me tell you, you don't want me against you. You don't weigh public opinion versus the hard work two boys put into their journey."

It must be a trick from the lighting as Professor Birch saw something twinkle in the old president's eye. As quick as it came, it went away. "I like Brendan. I really do. But I just can't have that sort of attention on my council. The public would interpret us giving Brendan back his title as rewarding him for being part of Team Magma."

"No one can prove that."

"It's quite publicized, actually, that Brendan did have a court date in Sootopolis months ago. The files themselves are locked away, though, and cannot be released to the public. People have looked into Sootopolis newspaper archives, and while his name was not in the paper, it can discerned that it was him."

This was news to Professor Birch, though he remained composed. "How? How can anyone discern that?" he asked.

There was a pause before the president reluctantly replied, "That doesn't matter, Professor. That's what the people think despite how ridiculous you and I both think it is."

"Oh. So you, too, think this is ridiculous. You just don't want to look bad. Is that it?"

Another pause. Professor Birch gave him a triumphant grin, though he wasn't sure why as he hadn't progressed that much. "I know I'm coming off strong, and I apologize for that. I also understand why you're reluctant to give back Brendan's top twelve title. What you're trying to propose just isn't fair, and it's for a selfish goal: to protect your council–yourself, really–from public scrutiny. This is my son – my boy. He's done a lot of stupid things, things that sometimes I'm afraid to ask about, and I know that there's going to be more stupid mistakes. I raised him to take his punishment like a man and to recognize the consequences for his actions, but this just isn't right or proper for what he did."

"A Team Magma member," the president muttered.

"You can't prove that," the professor said.

"That's what everyone else thinks. This is the entire Hoenn League Organization's reputation on the line, Professor."

"Oh, now you're exaggerating now."

"It's still something I'd rather not deal with."

"You'd be surprised at how many people use their common sense, Jonathan."

Something sounded outside much like a whoop, then a holler, followed by more whoops. One of the council members rolled backward in his chair and stood up, walked toward the tall, spotless windows, and peered outside.

"Let's go over the repercussions again," said Jonathan, much to the groans of the rest of his council. His eyes swept over them in a cold glower before he began to speak. "If we give Brendan and Chris back their title, we are bound to get a lot of negative feedback for it. People aren't going to be happy."

"Well, you won't know until you try."

Jonathan ignored this. "Yet we can avoid this entire mess if I give into the public."

"Where's the fairness in that, though?"

The president shrugged. "Maybe there is none. I don't know. If we do it this way, this entire thing will blow over and everyone will forget about Brendan and whether or not the rumors circulating around him are true."

"He'll never forget it. I guarantee it. And neither will I."

More whoops, followed by some silence, which then resulted in louder, simultaneous yells. Cheerful ones, though, like people were rallying for something. Another member of the council stood and joined his fellow colleague, pressing his hands and forehead against the glass like it would help him get closer to the scene below.

"You should see this, sir," said the council member.

Jonathan ignored this as he stared down Professor Birch.

"I know you're eliminating him because you believe the hype," the professor said, leaning back in his chair. "You think he was a Team Magma agent too, right?"

A simple shrug though a noticeable eye twitch. "That group did nothing but harm Hoenn."

"Lately, yes. I agree with you there. There is no denying the good they did, like all the cleaning they did for the land. It was only recently – this year, really – where they took things to extremes. That's besides the point, though. It has nothing to do with Brendan and Chris' disqualification. That shouldn't be the basis of your punishment."

"Probably not."

"But it is."

"Probably."

"Really, sir," pleaded the council member, turning around the face the table. "You need to–"

Jonathan held up a finger. "In a second."

"You're a fair guy ... down there ... somewhere," muttered Professor Birch, doing his best not to roll his eyes to the side. "I don't think you'll be able to sleep if you unfairly punish Brendan and Chris."

"You'd be surprised at how comfortable my bed is."

"Sir, please!" cried the council member more urgently. "It's important!"

Jonathan gave an annoyed sigh before pushing his seat backward and standing up, the folds of his pants straightening out as the fell to their full length. "Good latios. What is it?"

"... That, sir."

* * *

"Come on!" May shouted as she stood on the top step of the staircase in front of the building. She pumped a fist in the air, energized. "You all know as well as I do that Brendan and Chris don't deserve to have their title withheld from them!"

Loud cries answered her back, most in agreement.

"We gotta be heard then!" May stopped as someone shoved a bullhorn into her hands. She rotated it in her hands like she had no idea what the device was before flipping the switch. The bullhorn let out a loud screech, making the audience groan in reply. "Er, sorry," she muttered in the bullhorn. "Anyway ... We gotta let that council know that we don't want Brendan and Chris to lose all that they fought for!" She pumped another fist in the air, making the crowds shout in mirth again.

"Hell no! Don't let them go!" the crowd shouted in unison, repeating it.

May, giddy, dropped her arms and turned her head to look at Wally who was fiddling with his pokénav nervously. "Isn't this great, Wally?" she said with a wide smile. "All these people here support Brendan and Chris. See? They know better than to believe what Gabby said!"

"Even if it's ... true," he murmured quietly, not looking up from the device. He looked up, staring at the crowd below. It wasn't huge, sure – only about twenty or thirty people – but it was bigger than he expected. It would at least make the council think twice if so many people supported Brendan despite what he may or may not have done (at least in their eyes). A lot of them – all of them, it seemed – were trainers, some he knew and some he didn't. "I am impressed, May, that you got all these people."

"All I did was shout and got heard," she replied, blushing, rubbing the back of her neck, picking up sweat. She noticed that Wally's eyes trailed back to the pokénav that rested in his hand. "What time is it?"

"Ten minutes to four," he said grimly.

She licked her lips. "Your battle," she said, blinking twice. "It's in ten minutes, isn't it?"

"Yeah ..." Wally trailed off, sweeping a hand through his hair. "I ... I gotta go."

"Do you want me to–"

Wally quickly shook his head. "No, no, May. This is more important. I'll be fine. Stay."

She gave Wally a warm, tight hug, hand still gripping the bullhorn, before releasing him, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I know you'll win. I can feel it," she remarked with a grin. "Now kick some butt for me!"

"Will do. You too, May." He gave her a small wave before bouncing down the steps into the crowds, giving a few of the members a few high fives, before running off to the stadium, the red tops of his pokéballs around his waist glistening in the sunlight.

May, taking in a deep breath, lifted the bullhorn to her lips, and shouted the chant along with the group. Little did she know that on the very top of a very pristine office was the Hoenn League council with a president muttering:

"Well, hmm ..."

* * *

"All things," said Chris, "are easier in retrospect."

The slightly deep voice broke through the silent buzzing that echoed in Brendan's ears for the past ten minutes. "You don't say," he replied dryly.

His friend ignored the sarcasm. "Yeah." A nod, comforting but slight. "You know what nostalgics do, right?"

"Remember the past but in a fond way?" Brendan murmured.

Chris kicked a leg out, his shoe brushing across the carpet. He stared at it, the bottoms of his jeans swallowing the tongues of his shoes, before dropping his leg. "Kind of. It's more about longing for the past."

"But in a fond way," Brendan added.

"Sure. I suppose that emotion goes hand-in-hand with longing."

"Creepy, too."

"What? Nostalgics?"

"Er, no. Longing goes hand-in-hand with creepy, too. Longing is a three-handed freak of emotion."

"Yeah, but it usually turns into stalking when it starts to get creep–" Chris shook his head to break the conversation. "That's not the point. That's what nostalgics do."

"They creep? Or they stalk?"

"Oh, get off that," muttered Chris as Brendan smirked. "They long for something in the past." He paused awkwardly, taking a finger and swirling it on top of the armrest, feeling its smooth, glossy surface. He watched it, focused like something important were to happen if he kept moving his finger.

"Go on," Brendan urged.

"You're a nostalgic I realized," Chris finally stated, not looking up, though he felt Brendan's eyes rest on the top of his head. "A bad one, too."

"Aren't most people? At least now and then?"

"I suppose. But most people don't have a lot to regret like you do."

Brendan bit his lip. "Meaning?"

"Well ... it's not like everyone else doesn't have regrets. Some more than you do. But you're a nostalgic: you long for the past."

This confused the white-haired trainer. He scratched his head. "If I have so much to regret, so much that I would _want_ to forget, then why would I be a nostalgic?"

"Well ..." Chris trailed off, finger still swirling across the wooden armrest. "Nostalgics yearn for the past, usually because it makes them feel warm inside, or happy. But the funny thing is, when you think of the past, it's usually not what exactly happened in the past. Maybe I'm not using the right term, nostalgic ..."

Brendan shrugged.

"But it's funny how we alter past events, however big or little, to make a story more interesting, or different, or, dare I say, better, whether we're telling it out loud or in our head. You do that, I think, don't you? You yearn for the past so you can change it."

Brendan shrugged again. "Sometimes."

Chris finally looked up, noticing that Brendan's eyes immediately darted to the side to avoid his gaze. He decided to stare at the ceiling where ceiling fans circulated a cool breeze. "Yeah. You think about life would be if things had been different. Ever since you started your journey, huh? The 'what if?'"

"I guess." Brendan let out a few loud coughs to fight back a gag reflex that worked itself into his throat. His left thigh was shaking – his whole body was quivering, actually, like a leaf. He had no idea why. "It bothers me ..."

"But don't you get that you might not be where you are now if, well, what really happened hadn't happened?"

"I know, I know. It's just ... I want to make everything right. I want everyone to be happy. A lot of the stupid things I've done hurt people that I care about. Especially May. And it's like ... god, if I just thought it through all the way, or if I didn't–"

"There's nothing you can do about it now. You know it. You can't make things right by thinking about the past and how you could have changed things. What matters is now, and what you do now will, eventually, make things right. Maybe not in the way you hoped, of course."

There was another break of silence, soothing instead of awkward. Brendan's finger wrapped itself around a loose thread on the armchair. He tugged at it lightly, feeling the thread tighten around his index finger, then relaxed it. His eyebrows crinkled so slightly.

"I always believed," Chris continued as Brendan drifted into his thoughts, "that everything happens for a reason. That there's purpose for everything we do. And no matter how minuscule the event seems at the time, it will effect the grander scheme of things."

There was another break. "But ... I don't know, Brendan. As much as things get us down–and I'll be the first to tell you that there a lot of things that will bring you down –there's always some unexplainable reason to push forward. There's always something that makes life so awesome. Even for a fleeting moment. And goddammit, it's worth it, even for that one millisecond." Chris let out a thoughtful sigh, like his rambling was something he had been building up inside of him, waiting for the right moment to be let out. "Did you hear anything I said?"

"What?" Brendan tugged at the thread, harder this time, and pulled it out. He threw it in the air, letting it spiral toward the floor. "No."

Out came another sigh from Brendan's friend. "Great."

"But thank you."

"You always were my favorite person to waste oxygen on, Brendan."

"Mm ... You need a girlfriend, I think."

"... Yeah."

There was a knock on a door, followed by a loud creak. Both boys' heads turned toward the double doors where a head peeped around the corner. "If you excuse me," began the person standing at the door, "the council requires your presence once more."

* * *

Everything was so surreal. His legs were like Jello. He felt his being – his thoughts, his memories, hell, his soul – leave his body, and he was watching himself walk, albeit shakily, down the staircase, Chris whooping and waving his arms in the air with May, who was huddled on a cement bench, jump up and into his arms, limbs swinging around him and gripping him tightly. But he didn't feel it.

Goddamn, the voice inside of his head _did not_ sound like his voice at all.

_Back in trainer school plastered all over the walls were these inspirational posters. Some of them were your basic meowth clinging onto a wire with yellow bubble letters stating "Hang in there!" Most of them had to do with studying with a pokémon sitting at a desk with its head bowed down as it took a test. I never understood that. Pokémon don't take tests._

_But I remember one poster. It said something like "What's important is not the destination but the journey." I remember thinking that was the stupidest thing ever. Everyone wanted to be the champion, to be the greatest. The journey was just the annoying point B that just HAD to be done in order to get to the real reward._

_I don't know ..._

Wally walked down the cobblestone street, hands behind his neck, and greeted them, and Brendan, still in an odd state of outer being – or whatever it is called – noticed the slight sadness underneath his grin, and he knew the unfortunate fact that Wally, despite a rough journey, an illness, and a kick ass battle style to boot, had lost. At the same time, he knew that Wally was okay with it. He knew Wally too well now. Gross.

"All right! We're all losers!" joked Chris, and the friends high-fived each other, grinning.

_I've learned a lot, you know. I've built on what I already knew when I first started._

Brendan felt relieved. He thought so anyway. Things worked out, right? Yet, he had this biting feeling in his stomach. The same nervous feeling that was triggered when his dad grabbed him by the shoulder to talk.

"You ... you weren't really with ... them, were you, Brendan?" he remember his father saying.

"Who?" He played dumb, but he knew what he was talking about.

His father's voice lowered to a whisper, like the words were now taboo. "Team Magma."

Quick was his reply and the shake of his head, "No!"

_There was this ... mantra that May like to murmur every now and then. I don't know. I think it gave her hope or something when things were looking bad. It was her quote in the trainer's book. _

"_With you by my side, anything is possible."_

_Yeah, I know. Super cliché, and it's worst because we're kind-of-sort-of-not-really a couple now. She always believed in me. She always kept her word no matter how stupid I was. But the point of this isn't about May but about her quote. As much as I like it–as much as I like her–I know, deep down, that just isn't true._

They went to the diner for dinner again. Brendan wasn't sure what he ate – he did eat, right? It was surprisingly a lot emptier then a few days ago; he guessed that the defeated trainers just didn't want to stick around for the finals. He sat next to May like always with Wally and Chris in the opposite, burgundy leather seats across the booth and reached for her hand almost tentatively, waiting for her response. She grabbed it, smiled, and ran her soft fingers down the backs of his rough knuckles.

Then the fries came and she quickly let go to grab a spud.

_A lot of crap has happened to me during this journey that fate–or God ... or whatever–just made me go through. For the laughs? For some sort of sick lesson? I don't know. But what matters is that it happened, and the kid who once believed in everything was whittled down to ... whatever I am today. Is that bad? Is that good? I don't know that either. Maybe I didn't learn all that much after all._

It got late (Brendan couldn't really recall what happened after they ate dessert), so they retreated to their room for the night. Brendan laid flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, hands clasped on his chest. He didn't change out of his daytime clothes; his pants were starting to bunch up and get uncomfortable. Tomorrow was the finals. It didn't matter to him, but he was still anxious and excited for tomorrow anyway.

He couldn't sleep. He hopped down from the top bunk and left the room, backpack in tow.

_I think I grew up a little. I like to think I did anyway. I used to be so cocky. I still am, admittedly. But I think I toned it down a little. Yeah, just a little. That sentence is filled with a lot of I's I realized. I'll work on that, too._

_When I look back on it, that's kind of depressing. Er, the me not believing in everything sort of thing. Am I not hopeful anymore because of this journey? All that I used to believe in is so skewered and contorted. "With you by my side, anything is possible." I used to believe firmly in that statement, but now I know that, nah, it's not true. But that's not the point. The point of that statement–why May likes it as a quote–is because of the sentiment behind it. It gives us reason to continue forward. It gives us reason to keep believing in things, corny statement or not. Yeah, maybe I still believe in everything in a stranger sense._

_I like her bad if you can't tell. She can make me do things that I never dreamed of doing._

"Bikes!" May said happily. The boys looked at her in bewilderment.

She pouted, nose wrinkling a bit. "What?" she asked. "What's wrong with bikes?"

"...You do realize how far away Littleroot is, right?" murmured Brendan, staring at the shiny bikes that lined the window of the rental store.

"Oh, come on, guys!" She wrapped her arms around Wally and Chris, who immediately try to wriggle out her grip, and widened her eyes into big blues as she stared at Brendan. "It'll be fun! It'll be our last adventure for awhile! We can take shortcuts and stuff, and it's not like we have to stop through every town! Won't it be nice to see everything like we did during our journey? It'll be a lot nicer then a train ride home."

"No," was the dull reply from all three.

She stomped her foot. "Well too bad! We're doing it anyway whether you like it or not."

_Chris, during that one day the Hoenn League Council was going over our punishment, told me that I was a nostalgic. Or something. I think he got the word wrong. He told me I reflected too much on the past and wallowed in it. He told me that it was time to let it go and accept it._

How she got them to do it, Brendan will never know, but soon enough, he was kicking the bicycle stand up and following May's wheels. It was going to be a long ride.

_Journeys are important. It really isn't all about the destination. I've learned so much about pokémon, about other trainers, about empathy, about anger, and hate, and love, and happiness, and sadness and all these emotions I can't list. But more importantly, I learned a lot about myself that I could have missed had I just been focused–have I not taken the time to let my journey sink in–on the destination. I lost at the pokémon league. So what?_

_Bad things happen. I've come to accept that. It's time I let it out. The truth shouldn't be hidden._

All he could remember was trees. Trees and the sea and the fresh breeze the blew across his cheek and he pedaled as fast as he could. There was this freedom, this light aura, that built around him that made him want to whoop in joy. God, he felt better after he took that time to reflect. All that he wanted to say was contained in a letter fit snug in his back left pocket.

_They say that the only way to go, when you hit rock bottom, is up. Let's start there._

_So, Dad. Remember when you asked me if I was a Team Magma member, and I said I wasn't, and you had this look on your face that told me that you didn't believe me anyway? Yeah, you have every right to be. Because I was. I was a Team Magma member – a pretty high ranking one, too._

_If you ever want to talk to me again after this, I can explain. Honest._

- _Brendan_

"Brendan!"

"What!" was his quick response. He snapped out of his thoughts as May clapped her hands in front of his face. His hands were grasping the handles of a bicycle with the frame of the bike resting against his thigh. One leg was settled on the sidewalk. The trainer looked around, sunlight blinding him. Rows of similar looking homes were stretched out before home. The grass was green, and taillow were tweeting in the oak trees.

He was back home. Littleroot.

"It's strange to be back here, isn't it?" May said with a smile, kicking down the stand of her bike so she could release it from her grip. She put her hands on her hips, feeling the fabric of her fanny pack. She then stepped forward, scuffing the concrete, to press her hands against the top of the wooden fence. She smiled.

The two were standing in front of two nearly identical homes, albeit the one on the left had a darker paint job, at the end of a street. The one on the left had a rose garden planted underneath its windows while the one on the right had finely trimmed hedges. The doors were placed on the front face of the home differently, with the one on the left positioned on the more to the left and the one on the right more toward the center. May pointed her head up, squinting her eyes a bit as the sunlight assaulted her eyes, and stared at the red shingle roofs.

"I mean ... I know we were just here a week or so ago," she began, "but that just seemed like a break. This time, though, we're really home. Like ... maybe for awhile. Our journey is, well, over." For some reason or another, May felt her eyes watering, so she wiped at them, slim fingers pulling down on her cheeks. "It's truly the weirdest feeling ever."

Brendan said nothing in response and leaned the bicycle against the fence. Inside his house was his mom, possibly his dad, and the life he had left behind almost more than a year ago. He liked to think he changed from the person he was when May bound up those steps to his room and surprised him just when he was packing.

"Yeah," he finally replied quietly, left hand reaching behind him and resting on the letter. He pulled it out and gazed at it as if trying to read the letter through the envelope.

May, curious like always, peered her head in Brendan's direction. "What's that?" she questioned.

You've come this far. You can do this.

Brendan opened the door of his mailbox, noting that the silver wording of his surname on said mailbox was starting to lose its shine, gave the letter a final look over before sliding it in, closing it with a satisfying shut. May looked at him, puzzled.

"Did you just mail a letter to yourself? You're freakin' odd."

Okay, so he did want to give the letter. But maybe he wanted to wait justttt a little before the doomed conversation – before his life would go through another drastic change – would take place.

He grinned, tapping the mailbox with his forefinger. "I know, right?"

May shook her head and unlatched the gate of her home with a flip of her hand. It swung open with a loud creak. "Right. Well ... Uh ... I don't know what to say. It still feels so surreal. I know we should say something. I just don't know what."

"Hmm." Brendan rubbed his chin. He snapped his fingers. "When we left here, you weren't my friend. And now that we're back, you're still not my friend." He turned toward May, making the girl turn toward him. "You, May, are so much more than that to me."

For a second, Brendan thought the girl was going to cry (not like that was anything new) as she stood there, hands swinging back and forth.

Nope. Instead of a hug, or a kiss, or a warm gesture, his heartfelt line was met with a light punch in the arm and small, light laugh.

"You're such a cornball," she said while giggling.

"You think?" the boy asked, grinning.

The girl nodded. "Yep! No ifs, ands, or buts!"

She kissed him lightly on the lips. And then the two walked toward home.

* * *

Muddy: Ocrap. It's really over.

Si, senor.

Muddy: GOOD GOD! FINALLY! (cheers) Celebrate, Flare, celebrate!

Flare: You're a moron.

Inorite. After five (or is it six?) years of utter crap, we finally reach an ending. Hopefully it wasn't too disappointing of a ride (outside of year long hiatuses and annoying cliffhangers), and hopefully you got something out of it, too. I know I did.

Muddy: Oh god. She's going to go into a ramble. (covers ears)

I'm not. I mean I could. I could ramble about a lot of things. All the planning-

Flare: You mean the lack thereof.

Right. And all the inspiration.

Flare: Again, the lack thereof.

Right. But, you know, the story speaks for itself. It's easy to track my progress as an author throughout the six-hundred pages of this story (and yes, if you're here, you did trudge through six-hundred pages of crap). I really had no goals for this story. Well no, I do. In fact it's the same goal that it was back when I started this story at the innocent age of thirteen: a simple, enjoyable journey fic that doesn't get overly complicated with themes. The fic did take a darker dip than what I intended with the Team Magma sideplot, but other than that, I hope you got a few (cheap?) thrills out of it. I hope it was something that you could read after a hard day and just enjoy because that was what I was aiming for. A lighthearted, humorous fic and nothing more.

Now there's the question of the supposed sequel, something that I still haven't decided on doing. It's another huge task to take on even though it shouldn't be as long as this story. I have ideas, of course (hell, I implied something with the ending of this story), but the entire idea of writing something so huge just sounds ... tiring. If I do write it, I want to make sure I want to do it so we won't end up with annoyingly long hiatuses again. I'd like to think I ended this story on a relatively high note, so I think a sequel might be pushing it. We'll see, though. If it does happen, it might not be for awhile as I'd like to start new projects (some including Brendan and May and some not) that have been patiently waiting in the back.

HLBMA isn't done, though.

Muddy: YES IT IS. GOD.

Well, I mean technically it is. I still have to revise chapters, and even after that, I still need to go back and refine it. If you haven't already, I suggest skimming a few of the earlier chapters; you might be surprised at the difference. Some tell me it's like reading another story.

Muddy: You're killing me, Breezy. We're never going to be finish with this story. I wanted to retire, move to some tropical island, but you tell me there's still work to be done? I'm already so old.

Flare: We went over this. We're only one. Remember our birthday party chapter? We only had one of those, hence we're only one. The timespan of the journey was roughly a year or so.

Muddy: Psh! Whateva!

I am excited for the sequel, though! I have a lot planned for it, especially for character development. It's the actual bigger back bone plot that I'm having trouble with. I'm not sure how one circulates a story around a place dedicated toward battles without it being ... redundant.

Or more redundant than usual.

Whateva.

Anyway, for the final time-

Muddy: Better be.

-for this story-

Muddy: WHAT?

LaTeR dAyZ!


End file.
